


Dragon in My Hand

by Coffeetailor



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: M/M, Multi, Shrinking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-24
Updated: 2014-05-26
Packaged: 2018-01-02 12:33:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 30,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1056813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Coffeetailor/pseuds/Coffeetailor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hit by a strange and experimental weapon, Wufei finds himself shrunken down to four inches tall, and in the hands of the enemy. Though with the way he's being treated, how long will he be able to call them that?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Silk on My Glove

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Reposting this from ff.net, so if it sounds familiar that's probably where you read it. These characters do not belong to me and I make no profit off of their use.

The battle wasn't going the way anyone had expected, and Wufei's knuckles were white as his hands clutched Nataku's controls desperately. Why, why did Tallgeese need to join the group of Leos that Wufei'd already reduced by half. The white suit's appearance distracted Wufei long enough for a single suit he'd never seen before to emerge from the woods surrounded base. The weapon it held was equally as foreign to him, but he grew wary when he saw how much distance the other soldiers gave this new one, Tallgeese following their lead after a reluctant minute.

Wufei growled in frustration as a beeping from his Gundam's scanners told him that its attempts to breach the machine had failed completely. He would have gotten more information scanning a rock than he did from this mobile suit. He had no better luck with the weapon it held in its hands, the weapon that was already being aimed at Nataku. Aimed and charging.

By the time his reflexes were able to begin evasive maneuvers, it was already too late and the weapon's beam hit his Gundam barely a moment later, once and then twice. The first time only impacted the shoulder as he changed direction, but the force of it turned Nataku so that the second beam hit the cockpit hatch directly.

The green and red mobile sit spun wildly out of control as it lost altitude, plummeting to the ground with an impact that could be felt all the way to the base. For the OZ pilots, it would have been a cause for celebration if the weapon hadn't immediately begun to overload, huge arcs of sparks shooting off of it and the port where it attached to the mobile suit it belonged to.

Inside the Tallgeese, Zechs had to shield his eyes from the blinding explosion displayed on his viewing screens, the scream from the pilot cut short. He sat silently for a moment in respect for the fallen soldier before leaning forward at the chime of the comm to switch on the video feed. "Treize. Did you see-"

"I did, my old friend," Treize said, lips pursed in the viewing screen. He rested his chin on one gloved fist. "I didn't approve that thing's construction."

"I'll have it investigated," the blonde assured him. He knew the other man well enough not to need to ask. Though there was one other issue that he was never sure on. "And what of 05?"

Treize thought for a moment, his eyes going distant. If the fiery pilot was alive, and he hoped he was, they would need to retrieve him for questioning. And as much as he trusted Lady Une, the aristocrat knew how eager his colonel could get when interrogating prisoners. But if she knew that he had seen them before interrogation, she would be hesitant to cause as much damage. And if Chang had died in the crash... A warrior of his caliber deserved proper burial. "Mark off the area and order guards posted. I would prefer to search the woods myself." He held up a hand when it looked like Zechs was going to protest. "If you fear for my safety, you're welcome to join me, but no one else."

"Your fascination with that boy will get you killed one day," Zechs said as he shook his head. He would have argued if he thought that it would result in anything more than Treize heading into the woods on his own. If they were any other people, the three of them, he might have gotten jealous from the amount of time he knew his boyhood friend and behind closed doors lover spent thinking about and studying Chang. How many times had he caught him re-watching the surveillance footage from their sword fight? "I'll see you on the ground in ten minutes."

"What would I do without you, Milliardo?" the general asked, his smile as unreadable as it always was. he didn't expect an answer and cut the connection without waiting for one.

"You'd get yourself killed hunting your young dragon." It was only because he was alone that Zechs allowed a derisive snort, as he turned Tallgeese back towards the base. If they found the boy dead, he would have an officer to comfort whether he thought he needed it or not.

As promised, the two men met on ground ten minutes later, and were a mile into the woods within the hour, a bag of medical supplies slung over Zechs' shoulder and an electric navigator in Treize's hands leading them to the estimated location of the crashed Gundam.

"Have I mentioned lately jut how mad you've become over the years?" Zechs asked casually as he removed yet another stray twig from his hair. He should have demanded the few extra minutes it would have taken to bind it back. On the battlefield, no one got close enough to make it a threat, but in the woods? If it weren't as much a part of his signature as his mask, he would have been tempted to take 02's example and keep it bound in a braid at all times.

Treize, the lucky bastard, had no such problem, able to side-step the grabbiest branches without so much as looking up from the miniature screen in his hands. He barely did even to answer his lover's question. "Not since last Tuesday, I believe. Has it gotten worse?"

There was a growl behind him as yet another branch snagged a few platinum strands for its own. "Clearly, because I was in Brazil last Tuesday, and communications were down for three days because Maxwell had programmed all outgoing lines to only contact phone sex operators and charge by the minute psychics. I believe you signed off on the-"

Treize had his hand held up for silence, and Zechs understood why the moment he looked up and past the other man. The Altron lay just beyond a few trees in an impact created clearing, the cockpit hatch open and half buried in the ground. It'd clearly been open before the Gundam impacted with the earth, which didn't promise well for the safety of the pilot.

"The branches are blocking my view," he said with as frown as he stood beneath the open hatch and tried to peer in. The damage suggested by the placement of some of the branches made his blood run cold. he restricted his reaction to clenching his fists. "Milliardo, you've always been a better climber than me..."

"I'll look." Zechs made short work of the buttons holding his uniform closed, offering the garment to Treize. He slipped off his gloves his well and pocketed them before starting to climb. The blonde was just glad that it hadn't rained in the past two days, so the mossy branches weren't nearly as slippery as they could have been. He was able to climb quickly, reaching his destination within a few minutes.

The cockpit was empty at first glance, and likely at second and third had Zechs not tried to climb into it in order to see if it could be still run. He put a hand down beside the controls and felt something soft and warm brush against the edge of his hand. Expecting to see some unfortunate animal that'd been caught in the crash, Zechs turned his head to look and found his breath stolen away, blue eyes flying impossible wide behind his mask.

Treize heard his friend's sharp inhale and made another attempt at seeing up into the suit to see what had caused it. Of course, it did no more good than the first time he'd made the attempt. But it wasn't long before Zechs started to come down again, a hand held close to his chest. Before he tried to scale the last portion, he held that hand out to Treize. "Take him. I need both hands to get the rest of the way down."

Him? Treize didn't have time to voice his question before it was answered for him with the depositing of a featherlight object in his outstretched hand. As his mind registered just what he'd been handed, the general couldn't help but to stare in stunned awe. Black hair made a stark contrast against his white glove, broken free from the tight tail he'd always seen it in before. The silk clad form that it belonged to draped limply over his palm, only the motion of his chest rising and falling to tell that he was even alive. Features that he'd always found so striking and proud now looked delicate merely because of their scale. Once it was put together he knew that though his many years of study and trust in science would not tell him, he held Chang Wufei in the palm of one hand.

The sound of Zechs' feet hitting the ground broke him from his shock enough to look up, his hand curling gently around the young pilot to protect him from falling. There was no longer any question about turning him over to Une for questioning. Even at her gentlest, she would kill something so small and breakable. "Have you ever heard of anything that could do this?"

Zechs shook his head, a frown marring his face as he looked at the young man in his lover's protective grasp. It somehow seemed wrong for Chang to be so defenseless, helpless. "Never," he said softly. Who knew how far the teenager actually was from waking. "It seems right out of a science fiction novel."

"Or a fairy tale," Treize added with a small smile beginning to tug at his lips. Since no bones appeared to be broken on the tiny body, Treize carefully transferred Wufei into the inside breast pocket of his uniform. He would be safe there until they could tend to him, and Treize would know immediately if he awoke. He straightened up, slipping his rank back on before speaking. "We were unable to locate pilot 05 and it appears he was either flung from his Gundam in falling or escaped before we could arrive. Keep the barricade in place. I don't want the other pilots sneaking in as part of a salvage crew." His shoulders relaxed once more as he held out Zechs' jacket, a hand cupped gently over his hidden pocket and the warm lump there. "Will you be joining me for dinner, Milliardo? Knowing Gundam pilots, our guest may be awake by then."

"Guest? Treize, he's a Gundam pilot, not some schoolboy," Zechs said, mask hiding his look of exasperation. Sometimes, he had to wonder in insanity ran in his lover's family. It would certainly explain a number of things. "While I'm not saying that we should offer him over for interrogation, don't forget that he's a prisoner, not a house guest."

"I suspect having him as both will be a rather easy matter while he's this size, don't you think?" Now that he knew that his dragon of a pilot was safe, Treize's mood had turned decidedly lighter. And if he was to be... keeping him until WUfei returned to his usual size, then he would finally have his chance to learn just what drove a young man like Wufei to fight with such a fire burning within him. It was just a pity that they would be unable to have a rematch. Treize had a suspicion that Wufei would be unwilling to duel with pencils, and might try to murder him in his sleep if it was suggested.

The blonde man had no answer for that other than to shake his head and re-fasten his uniform jacket before taking the lead back to the base. If Treize wanted to play house with the younger pilot, so be it. In his current state, Chang was no threat to either of them, nor anyone else on the base with the possible exception of the mice.

The two men parted when they reached base, Zechs delivering the false report that the Gundam pilot had not been found, and Treize heading directly to his private quarters. It was only after he'd locked his door that he ever-so-carefully reached into his inside pocket to retrieve the treasure he had hidden there.

Wufei was still unconscious when Treize pulled him out into view, and the general frowned at the sight of a dark red stain to the white silk encasing Wufei's left shoulder. Judging by the fact that he'd not seen it earlier, he felt that moving him must have aggravated it, and he chided himself for being so careless. It was clear to him that he would need to remove Wufei's jacket, but seeing as it buttoned, he was a little stumped on just how to do it. From what little he actually knew of Chinese culture, white signified mourning, meaning that he couldn't simply cut it off. Thinking on it, Treize laid Wufei on his desk carefully before getting up and heading into his private bathroom. Where had he left them... Ah, there.

He carried the tweezers back to his desk and Wufei, switching on his lamp for better lighting as he used the tweezers to gently tug the jacket open one button at a time. Once it was open, he shifted Wufei into a half seated position to pull the coat off. Treize pushed the strap of Wufei's tank top from his shoulder to bare the source of his bleeding. From the placement... a laceration from his own safety restraints. The shirt would be in the way of properly bandaging and cleaning the would, so the next step was clearly getting it off. The task probed to be more difficultly done than said, because he was afraid of twisting any of the teenager's delicate limbs and hurting him. But soon enough the shirt was off and Treize was unable to resist running the tip of one finger over Wufei's chest, shaking his head at his own foolishness. As though he'd be able to feel anything through his gloves.

Treize cleaned the shallow wound with a Q-tip dipped in disinfectant, wincing in sympathy when the unconscious pilot flinched and tried to shift away from it automatically. Realizing that dressing the wound with his gloves still on wouldn't be at all practical (a realization that came with no small amount of joy to him because now he had an excuse), the general pulled his gloves off. He cut narrow strips of gauze and medical tape before starting to very carefully cover Wufei's shoulder with them. It wasn't the neatest job, but considering the size of his patient, he thought he'd done as well as could be expected.

Looking down at Wufei, Treize pondered for a moment before retrieving a magnifying glass from his desk and lifted up the tweezers once more. Even if he trusted his fingers to be sensitive enough to detect further injuries, he was just as likely to cause them if he felt Wufei's legs blindly. So with his hands held as steady as he could, he rolled him onto his stomach and used the tweezers to pick apart the flat knot of the pilot's belt. It was slow work to find the ends because they'd been tucked out of sight, but once the knot was untied, the strip of cloth came away easily, making Wufei's loose pants simple to slide down and off. With the younger man left in his boxers and the bracers he wore around his wrists, Treize was left to easily examine him for any uncatalogued injuries. It was to his great relief that, other than the odd colorful bruise, there weren't any.

"You young men continue to astound me with your good luck," Treize murmured softly, just lightly touching Wufei's cheek. His skin felt soft and smooth, just as he'd pictured it when he allowed himself the fancy. With a quiet sigh, Treize opened his center desk drawer and moved aside the box of pens he'd hidden there from the office clerks to make room. As he was off duty for the rest of the night, his cravat was removed and folded into a soft bed that still smelled faintly of his cologne, a glove folded and rolled into a pillow. It was only then that he carefully lowered Wufei into the drawer and draped his other glove over the shrunken man. With the bandages hidden from view, Wufei looked oddly peaceful, and Treize hated to close the drawer. But dark and quiet would be the best things for Wufei now, and Treize could promise neither on top of the desk.

And inside the drawer, he was protected from the temptation Treize had to touch him.


	2. Not a Pet

When Wufei woke up in pitch darkness, there were only a few things he knew about his situation. He was laying on something soft with a heavy blanket spread over him, though something felt odd near the foot of it. He could hear voices, muffled as though through a wall. A thin one, judging from the volume. Someone had undressed him, likely the same responsible for the sloppy bandaging he could feel on his shoulder. And on that note, he was injured, but alive. And this did not have the feeling of an OZ holding cell.

It was a good thing that he moved slow when he tried to stand up, because that was when he felt exactly how low the ceiling in the room was. He could sit up or kneel, but standing would only be possible if he remained bent over the entire time. The ceiling felt like wood, but it was very rough under his fingers. Thankfully, the floor was smoother for the sake of his knees as he crawled to find the boundaries of his strange prison.

Very strange prison. The amount of things that'd been left in the room spoke of a serious lacking in common sense. Long, thick wooden poles that had been sharpened to a point on the end. Plate-sized metal disks with a protruding spike. A heavy, smooth weight that could be thrown. Perhaps he was in some good Samaritan's attic rather than a prison? But neither possibility explained the long metal spiral binding together a knee high stack of what felt like thick paper. If he were to set aside his rational side, he might have allowed himself to think that he'd found some giant notebook.

The pilot froze before quickly crawling back to where he remembered the poles being. The darkness had made him delusional and he was going to prove it to himself. In his haste, he sent one of the poles rolling and it clattered against one of the walls. Wufei was too distracted to even notice when the lull of conversation beyond the wall abruptly stepped, because the scent on his fingers from rubbing the end of the pole was definitely graphite. A pencil. It was a pencil thicker than his arm. But when the 'room' suddenly began to move and it was flooded with light, that all became unimportant.

Surely this delusion had become a nightmare, for he could think of no other scenario that would involve Marquise and Khushrenada looming over him from massive heights. But... why would his delusional mind make up a face to be in place of the mask that the man always wore? He'd never seen Marquise without it. Wufei stared between their faces with wide, shocked eyes. He didn't even notice that Khushrenada was speaking to him until the man reached into the drawer and Wufei was forced to leap back and scramble further into his prison to avoid capture.

"Wufei, stop being childish," Treize said, fighting not to sound nearly as amused as he felt. It wasn't Wufei running from him that made want to laugh, not at all. It was the ridiculous idea that he was chasing the pilot around his desk that threatened to cause his mirth to spill forth. But he'd never be forgiven by the miniaturized dragon if he laughed. So he settled on sounding mildly disapproving. "I'm not going to hurt you."

There was no answer from the back of the drawer, and he hadn't really expected to receive one. But even so, the general shook his head and reached into the drawer, his fingers touching the back of the drawer before he began to sweep his arm along. There would be no way for Wufei to dodge around it. And for a moment, it had seemed like a good plan. Right up until the teenager decided to remind Treize that he had left a box of thumb tacks in the drawer.

Treize sucked air in sharply through his teeth as he removed his arm, grimacing at the tack stuck neatly into the webbing between his thumb and forefinger. He removed it gingerly while giving a nod to Zechs. His lover's solution was perhaps more efficient, though Treize thought that it lacked fair play. Zechs simply took hold of the drawer in question and pulled it out and away from the desk. Wufei was left with nowhere to hide and his only routes of escape involved a dangerous fall. And from the hunted look in the teenager's eyes, he knew that fact very well.

"If you're quite done with the theatrics, dragon, I'm sure we all have a few questions we'd like answered," Treize said as he gingerly removed the tack from his hand and pressed a finger to it to stop the bleeding. "For starters, how do you feel? You survived a rather spectacular crash."

Wufei looked up at the two men in confusion from the back corner of the drawer where he'd lodged himself. Why hadn't he been killed or an interrogator called to drag information out of him? And why had he been bandaged up? The pilot narrowed his eyes and firmed up his defensive stance as he glared at them. "What do you want from me? I won't tell you anything about the Gundams or the other pilots."

"It wasn't them that he asked after, Chang," Zechs said with an amused snort. He set the drawer down on top of the desk and quickly moved the lamp and telephone to the floor, unplugging the cord from Treize's laptop. There would be no convenient ways to escape for the tiny teenager. "You should be grateful that you weren't given to Une or one of our scientists."

Treize laid a hand on Zechs' shoulder, giving him a graceful smile that still held an edge of warning in it for those who knew him. Message delivered, he sat down in his desk chair, effectively removing Wufei's last avenue of escape and reducing his height. "As long as you are in my care, I don't plan to ask you any questions involving the war. Nor will I answer any that could be considered a betrayal to my men. Now, how are you feeling, Wufei?"

"Fine," Wufei said slowly, reluctantly. Standing up, he climbed from the drawer onto the surface of the desk, if just to make himself a little harder to simply be picked up. It was obvious that he had been... handled while he was unconscious, but that didn't mean that he was going to make doing so again easy. The Chinese pilot jumped back when Treize picked up the drawer to slide it back into place. Watching the man reach into it to retrieve his gloves, Wufei realized that his 'blanket' had been one of them and had to keep himself from stiffening further. Just how small was he? "What do you mean, while I'm in your care? And where are my clothes?"

"Why don't we continue this discussion over dinner," Treize said without answering Wufei's question. "Before it gets cold. And I'm afraid that your clothes are still soaking. I'm sure you know how tricky bloodstains can be to get out of silk." He held a hand out, making an amused sound when Wufei took a step back. "I can offer you a clean handkerchief to satisfy your modesty."

Wufei hated to admit how much his cheeks were burning at the suggestion and he shook his head firmly. It was better to be just in boxers than wrapped up in a sheet like he'd been interrupted while involved in some torrid affair. "I'll wait for my clothes to dry."

Treize crooked an eyebrow at him and Wufei tried to ignore the way that the man's visual sweep made him feel even more naked than he was. The general held a hand out to him, the other curling behind his back to keep Wufei from running. "If you insist. Come on then, dinner awaits."

"You are not going to carry me." Wufei took a step back, jerking away when his back came into contact with the warm skin of Treize's left hand. Or at least he tried to jerk away. The quick movement of Treize's other hand trapped him between them. He did his best to struggle, trying to shove the massive hands apart, but his strength wasn't a match for Treize's normally. Like this, he had no chance. When Treize tipped his right hand to slip it under Wufei, the pilot was knocked balance and it became a simple matter to scoop him up. "Let me go!"

"In a moment, dragon," Treize said. Much to Wufei's indignation, the older man lifted him up from the desk and carried him over to the table, where a half-eaten meal was already laid out. Treize set him down beside what must have been the general's plate, because he sat down in front of it immediately after. "There. Better?"

Wufei glared up at him and quickly moved towards the center of the table, as far as he could get from Treize without starting to get closer to Marquise, who took the other chair. "Don't touch me again."

Zechs' condescending snort made him turn his glare towards the blonde, who wasn't exactly intimidated. "How exactly do you plan to get down from the table if neither of us touch you, Chang? Jump? You'd be lucky to survive with most of your bones broken. And then where would you be? Bleeding and broken on the floor, in plain view should Une or any other officers enter the room."

"Zechs, there is no need to try and frighten him," Treize said, his voice mildly reproachful as he carefully cut small slivers off of his food, setting them on the edge of his plate. He didn't appear to be bothered at all by the way Wufei eyed him suspiciously. "To answer your earlier question, Wufei, I believe that it would be best for you to stay here under my protection until you return to your natural size. It would be dishonorable to do anything else while you're in such a condition, so I won't hear any protests."

"What do you expect to get in exchange for this?" Wufei asked slowly. The smell of meat and sweet potatoes was beginning to remind his traitorous stomach that he hadn't eaten since his very early breakfast.

"To get some of my curiosity satisfied." He held up a hand to forestall Wufei's protests, moving the scraps the food to an unused dessert spoon and reaching out to place it halfway between the pilot and himself. "Not about the rebellion or any of your comrades, Wufei. About you."

When Wufei went still and starred towards Treize, Zechs would have given almost anything to be able to see his face. Surely the boy hadn't thought that Treize would be uninterested in the one who dedicated so much to trying to kill him. And truly, Treize had the best view. He watched Wufei freeze, his eyes going wide and his hands spasming, clenching and unclenching as though their owner suddenly didn't know what to do with them. But then that reaction was gone, buried under the teenager's strict control.

He glanced between the offered food and Treize, the man's finger's entwined in front of his face thoughtfully. Wufei very pointedly looked away, staying where he was for now. "Why would you want to learn about me? I'm not that interesting."

"Quite on the contrary, my dear dragon," Treize said, smirking faintly as he leaned forward, causing Wufei to take a small step back. "I find myself quite fascinated by you."

Wufei disliked the way that Treize's statement made his stomach twist, but he firmed the position of his shoulders as he stepped forward and knelt next to the spoon. It wasn't surprising that there were no tiny dishes conveniently laying about. If there had been, he would never have believed that this wasn't some trap. But the pair of officers was clearly unprepared to play host to someone his present size.

Treize was content to take Wufei's silence as a small victory, the twist of his lips for too smug for the tiny man's comfort. And as Treize and Zechs' prior topic of conversation was the young man kneeling on their table, the meal was finished in what was a comfortable silence for them, and a decidedly uncomfortable one for Wufei. He was simply not used to being of interest to anyone, and for Treize of all people to find him 'fascinating,' especially while Wufei was at such a physical disadvantage... it was difficult not to twitch. It was much easier to focus on eating, even if it was with his hands.

It wasn't until the clock struck nine that Zechs put down the glass of wine that he'd been sipping from and stood. Treize looked at the man briefly before standing as well and walking over to him. Watching the two, Wufei frowned in confusion as the ginger-haired man slipped a hand into blond hair. What was he- Abruptly, Wufei's face burned a dark red. Treize had used that hand to pull Zechs in closer, leaning towards him to close the last bit of distance before kissing his subordinate fully on the lips. The pilot didn't even realize that he was staring until the two men parted and Zechs looked directly at him with a smirk. "Enjoy your evening."

When the man turned and left, leaving Wufei alone with Treize, the pilot tried to focus back on his food just to have something else to think on, only to have Treize's shadow fall over him. He looked up at him, forcing himself not to flinch back as the general's hand came close and lifted away Wufei's spoon. It was only then that he realized it was already empty.

"I'll prepare a place for you to sleep," Treize said softly, once again holding his empty hand palm up beside Wufei. The man was sure that he'd already shown his 'guest' that escape was impossible. But he also had no desire to cast himself as the evil giant, grabbing up his Chinese 'Jack' without thought to his desires at all. "It would be best for you to be out of sight when the steward comes to clear the table."

Wufei silently regarded the offered hand before climbing to his feet. It wasn't until he was stepping onto Treize's palm that he even realized that he was deciding to trust him, for now at least. It was better to make the move himself than to be scooped up again like some misbehaving kitten, right? He looked away from the other man's gentle smile to kneel down once more for stability, accepting the offered curled fingers by taking hold of one. "Don't expect me to just climb into your hand whenever you want. I won't be some trained pet for you or anyone."

Treize chuckled and lifted his hand slowly, doing his best to keep his walking steady as possibly on his way to the bedroom. It was certainly a marvel to hold such a tiny human being in his hand, especially one who held such strength within him. "Of course not. I have no desire to see you become one."

"Then why do you keep insisting on handling me?" Wufei asked flatly, the sharpness of his tongue returning as the threat of being tortured faded with each moment. And the fact that he'd been in Treize's hands at least three times now was catching up with him. In Treize's hands and completely helpless. All the man would have to do was clench his fingers and Wufei would be seriously injured if not dead. But he hadn't. And that made Wufei even more worried about what he was planning.

Right away, the already far away floor dropped further away as Wufei was lifted higher, an embarrassing shout escaping from the teenager's mouth. Treize's hand stopped at about eye level to give them both the best view of each other's faces. With the smile curling the other man's lips, Wufei would have preferred to have been kept at chest height.

"Because I wish to, my dear dragon," Treize said, his smooth voice rolling over the man in his grasp and making Wufei shiver. But with the way he carried Wufei over to the bed and set him down, it was almost as if he hadn't noticed it. "You may wander around the bed as you please, but please don't try to climb down. I'd hate for there to be any accidents while I'm walking around to ready your bed."

The mere suggestion of such an accident sent an entirely different kind of shiver down Wufei's spine, and he nodded without pause to Treize's 'request.' He had little doubt that his host could and would lock him up in a drawer or box were he to be caught trying to leave the bed. His escape would have to be at night, or some other time that Treize was not actively watching him.

Wufei let his attention wander while Treize moved around the room, emptying the single drawer in his bedside table of the small collection of books and writing supplies kept there. It was clear that escape from the room itself would be difficult, from the base he assumed he was in, near impossible. But it wouldn't be the first time he'd taken on an 'impossible' task, he refused to let himself be frightened away from at least trying. And even if escaping on his own failed, he only needed to get work to one of the others.

He would be sure that they were warned about the new weapon.

A whiff of sulfur followed immediately by a change in the quality of lighting all but bodily yanked Wufei from his thoughts and he looked up to find Treize leaning over him, bathed only in the light of a single candle. Being able to see past the bright glow of the flame to the room around them just seemed to make Treize more massive, and it was all he could do to keep from shrinking away from him. Because of that, it took the pilot a moment to realize that the older man had traded his uniform for a pair of soft sleep pants. And nothing else. His opinion on the candle light abruptly changed. It hid the color of his face quite nicely.

"Are you tired, Wufei?" Treize asked, his voice sounding strangely gentle to the young pilot. A hand was laid beside Wufei once more, again open palmed for him to climb onto rather than simply picking him up. "I've made a bed for you if you're ready to sleep."

Perhaps it was a little childish, but at that moment, Wufei really didn't feel like being the good prisoner and going along with all of Treize's suggestions. He pushed himself to his feet (with some difficulties due to the softness of the blanket) and walked away from Treize's offered hand. "No, I'm not tired. And I have no need to be put to bed like a young child."

Treize's chuckle made his hackles rise, and Wufei dropped into a defensive position when the general reached towards him. And then over him, to the table where the candle burned. He picked up a hardbound book and pulled the blanket back to slide beneath it, like a great rolling earthquake leaving a comforter covered hill in its wake. Treize settled on his side and gave Wufei no chance of escape before using a hand to sweep the pilot towards the looming expanse of his chest.

"If you're not tired, then you'll read with me," he said as he released Wufei on the sheets beside him. Treize opened his book to the page it'd been marked at with a ribbon, tilting it up so that Wufei would be able to see. "I'm in the middle of Gulliver's Travels at the moment. A rather ironically appropriate choice considering today's events, wouldn't you think?"

Wufei's expression as he looked up at Treize clearly expressed his skepticism in the fact that the man had 'just happened' to of been reading that particular book. It was too much of a coincidence to believe. So it was also rather understandable how dry Wufei's reply was. "Extremely ironic."

The smirk Wufei received in response seemed to justify his suspicion, and he tensed up when Treize's hand moved towards him once more. But it only deposited the edge of the top-sheet over Wufei's body where he sat. The pilot growled and tore it off of his head, grudgingly wrapping the sheet around his shoulders for warmth. The room felt a bit chillier than he thought it should, but that could have been due to the increased strength of the usual ventilation breezes in relation to his shrunken body.

Above him, Treize allowed a small smile when Wufei consented to sit with him, even if it'd only been through a lack of protest. Though they would need to work on the teenager's habit of tensing any time he moved near him. Treize looked down after a while to see if his newly acquired charge had fallen asleep and found himself blinking in slight surprise. Wufei's posture was hunched, with his elbows braced on his bent knees, chin resting on his fist while his eyes seemed to be locked on the book before them.

"Have you read this one before?" he asked softly, trying not to startle Wufei out of his rapt attention. Treize would not have pinned his little warrior as someone who'd choose to sit and read.

Wufei only half shifted to look up at him, apparently rather caught up in the book. "In translation," he said, the casualness in his voice in his voice drawing yet another smile to Treize's lips. So that was the key to getting his dragon to relax. "Not yet in its original form."

'What language did you read it in?' he wanted to ask, but held his tongue to keep from making Wufei close up once more due to being interrogated. Most of the colonies had adopted English as their primary tongue. Had Wufei's not yet? Later, he promised himself. I'll get the answer out of him later.

With the younger man's attention once more turning firmly onto the book, Treize followed his example. The silence between them was comfortable, almost feeling like the contented moments he and Zechs shared as often as they could get away. If the battle that day had gone differently, perhaps they would have been laying together now. But even though they weren't, Treize couldn't find himself upset with the events of the evening. So it wasn't until Treize reached the end of the second tale that Treize glanced down again. The sight between his arms surprised the general once more.

"So many sights I thought that I would never see," he whispered softly as he looked down on the sleeping form of one Chang Wufei. There was no way of knowing just when the teenager had dropped off, but the fact that he'd been comfortable enough to allow it... he would have to make sure to read with him more often. Treize marked their place in the book before setting it down on the table. He opened up the drawer he'd emptied, giving the improvised bedroom a satisfied nod. It wasn't exactly a masterpiece, but it would do for now.

The next part was going to be the trickiest he knew, so Treize went slow as he delicately slid one hand along the sheets and beneath Wufei. It seemed like the stress of the day had finally caught up with the young man, because he barely stirred at being picked up. Treize gently transferred him into the make-shift bed and pulled the folded handkerchief up over him.

"Sleep well, my dragon," he murmured, sliding the drawer shut with just a crack left for air and light in the morning. If Wufei woke while he was preparing for the morning, Treize would be able to hear him too. The candle-light was too faint for him to look in, but that didn't keep from watching it for a few silent minutes. At long last, he shifted up and snuffed the candle.


	3. Over My Heart

For the second time in a row, Wufei woke up in a small and unfamiliar place. Only, this time, there was light coming from a large crack along the top of one wall. He headed directly for it, his slightly sleep addled brain yet to really catch up to him. Peering through the gap, Wufei frowned up at what was obviously a ceiling, but why was it so far-

"Sweet Nataku," he whispered in horror as the previous day caught up to him and he sat down hard on the 'floor' of what he now remembered to be a drawer. A drawer. A drawer in Treize Khushrenada's bedroom. As if summoned by his thoughts, the general's face appeared in the gap, making Wufei scramble backwards.

"I thought I heard movement," Treize said softly, smiling down at the younger man. He slid the drawer out, doing his absolute best not to jerk it. Such rough movements would be even worse to a person Wufei's size. As it was still early in the morning, Treize had yet to dress, a simple robe and wet hair giving away the fact that he'd showered recently. He reached into one of the pockets of the robe and pulled out Wufei's missing clothes, holding them out for Wufei to take. "They finished drying overnight. If you'd like to bathe first, I can bring you some hot water in a bowl."

Wufei all but snatched the familiar bundle of clothes from Treize's fingers, holding them to his chest as he took a step back. The clear anxiety made the general want to sigh. Clearly, the relaxed state he'd gotten into the night before was once again nowhere to be found. Pity.

"Set one out before you leave," the Chinese pilot said, eying Treize with suspicion. It helped to cover how mortified he was as he came to realize that his enemy had carried him to bed and tucked him in after he'd fallen asleep reading. It was a childish thing to do, a habit from his days in boarding school. He thought it was one he'd broken. Apparently not. "I prefer to bathe in privacy.

"And I would prefer to be within yelling range until I'm sure I haven't missed any further injuries," Treize said firmly. He turned his back to the pilot bearing drawer and let the robe drop so he could dress. Growing up in the military didn't exactly make for body modesty. And since Wufei was a soldier as well, he assumed the same, especially after his refusal of the handkerchief the evening before. "Which is why, when I leave, you will be coming with me. So I would suggest getting dressed so you have time to eat breakfast."

Wufei froze as he stared up at Treize and felt the blood rush to his cheeks, suddenly thankful for the angle of the view because it didn't allow him to see anything below the man's waist. As he turned away and Treize's words caught up to him, his face made a dramatic change from red to white. If he was kept with the general, there would be no chance of escape, and none of rescue. That knowledge was truly worse than that of the danger there would be waiting for him outside of Treize's looked rooms. If Une saw him in this state... Wufei hid a shudder by starting to pull his freshly cleaned clothes on, the familiar material comforting.

"How do you expect to be able to keep me hidden following you around all day?" he asked tersely, rather dreading the answer. Clearly, they'd gotten him in there without detection, but he didn't have any clues to suggest just how the task had been done. "You can't expect me to walk behind you, ducking under hallway tables to keep out of sight."

There was a rustle of fabric as Treize lifted his uniform coat from the back of a chair to settle on his shoulders. Long fingers worked quickly to do up the many buttons. "Of course not. That would be dangerous. I'll be carrying you. Zechs will take charge of your care after lunch for a time. Perhaps you can convince him to take you outside for some fresh air."

"Again, I'm not some kind of pet, Khushrenada, and I will not be begging you or your lover to take me out on a fucking walk!" Wufei snapped at the man, turning sharply to glare up at Treize. Hair down and shoeless, he still felt exposed despite the fact that he was otherwise dressed. He couldn't explain the absence of the missing items, and neither of his 'hosts' had offered up an explanation.

Treize smoothed down his uniform as he turned to look down at Wufei, making a slight tsk sound that only served to infuriate Wufei more. "Language, dragon. As I said, I have no desire to turn you into my pet. It would be a true waste of a strong opponent and a dishonorable way to treat a warrior like yourself." He pulled on a crisp pair of white gloves before reaching into the drawer. Refusing to back away like a frightened child, Wufei tensed as the other man's fingers wrapped around his torso and lifted him up. "But while you're in this vulnerable state, you are dependent on our care whether you wish to be or not. And until I can trust that you will not foolishly attempt an escape, you will be kept under supervision by myself or my lover, as you so charmingly phrased it, because we are the only ones who know that you were retrieved from the woods. I believe, Wufei, that you will find yourself in no position to argue. Now, to breakfast."

Wufei didn't have anything to say in reply to that as he was carried out of the bedroom and back into the main room. As with the last meal, breakfast was laid out already, though only for one this time. He was set down on the table while Treize walked over to his desk to rummage though the drawers. He seemed to ponder through a couple different mechanical pencils, pulling the metal eraser cap off of one hand and holding it up to examine.

"This should do," he said with a satisfied nod. He carried it into the bathroom and Wufei heard the sound of water running before the man returned, cap still in hand. "It may still taste a little like eraser, but hopefully the orange juice will overpower that."

"Thank you," Wufei said slowly. He reached up to accept the improvised cup that Treize carefully dripped orange juice into and took a cautious sip. The man's guess turned out to be fairly correct. There was little that he could taste other than the overpowering flavor of the juice. And the size of the cup, though a little large, made it easier to ignore his own.

In order to keep himself from watching Wufei drink, Treize busied himself with serving the young man up a spoonful of food as he had done the night before. If Wufei's 'condition' lasted for long, he would see about getting some things made for him that would be to scale. A few changes of clothes would be in order too. It wouldn't be proper for the warrior to wear the same things day in and out, and cleaning them each day would wear them out quickly, leaving Wufei nothing to wear other than his trademark coat. When he placed the spoon a few inches from his guest, he was pleased to note that Wufei did not flinch away. Perhaps he would have his dragon eating beside him soon.

"You don't have to be afraid to speak to me, Wufei," he said after the silence had dominated the breakfast table for a while. The glare he was sent in response threatened to make him break composure and laugh, but self preservation kept him silent. "If you with to believably deny it, you'll have to do so verbally."

"I am not, will never be, and have never been afraid of you," Wufei growled as he glared harder up at his giant captor. Oh, he knew what Treize could easily do to him if he ever had the inclination, and how unlikely his survival would be if the man decided to kill him, but he still refused to fear him. To do so would prove that he was weak, and he refused to allow that. "But I have no reason or desire to make idle conversation with my enemy."

Treize sighed as the meal lapsed back into silence. Clearly, baiting Wufei via his courage was not the wisest move on his part. It only angered the younger man, and made him more difficult to get through to. The opposite of what he wanted. Doubting that further attempts at conversation would be met with better results, he didn't make any more attempts to get Wufei to acknowledge him until the end of the meal.

When he stood up, setting his spoon down on the empty plate, the younger man looked up sharply at him and tensed immediately. As Treize had before, he laid his open hand beside Wufei and waited for the boy to respond. "Wufei, you have my word that I will allow no harm to come to you while you are in my care, or in my captivity if you insist on terming it that. Not by my hand or by Zechs', and I will not be revealing your presence here to anyone else, unless in the most dire of situations and with your permission, unconditional up on anything other than direct and intentional betrayal of my trust."

The declaration sounded oddly formal to Wufei, and he couldn't help but to believe that Treize was telling the truth. And from what he believed of the man's honor, he would be keeping the promise. When he opened his mouth to answer, he was a little surprised at his own sincerity. "I believe you." He focused on that realization as he stepped up onto Treize's hand and knelt down, rather than the fact that he was going to be spending time in a pocket of all places. Wufei briefly humored himself with the small relief that it wasn't Maxwell's pocket at least, or Barton's. He had no desire to share the small space with metal parts or to be tightly crushed against someone's leg.

"I believe the inner coat pocket will be the safest for you," Treize said, unfastening the top button on his uniform coat. "You'll be able to signal me if you need anything without attracting too much attention, and the fabric should hide the fact that you're in there. Would that be acceptable?"

The question startled him, and he nodded without much thought about it. He hadn't expected to be asked on the issue, not when he'd been told that he wouldn't be given a choice on whether or not he wanted to be taken with Treize at all. "I'll survive."

"I'll make sure of it, my dragon," the General said in response, bringing Wufei close and brushing his lips very lightly over the top of the teenager's head. He took advantage of the time Wufei took to sputter in order to gently deposit him once more in his pocket. Though this time he rather doubted that he would be nearly as still and compliant.

Finding himself dropped into the sleeping bag sized pocket, Wufei shifted slowly to find a comfortable position to relax in. It was unquestioningly warm in the pocket, and he sighed after a moment. Wufei patted the firm wall behind him to catch Treize's attention as he unbuttoned his coat and wiggled his way out of it. He looked up as the cloth walls shifted around him and held his coat up to the General peering in on him. "It's too warm. Leave it here."

"If you insist," Treize said, accepting the tiny coat. But instead of putting it in the desk or carrying it back to Wufei's make-shift bedroom, he slipped it into another pocket for safe keeping. He had little doubt that Wufei would want that fresh air he'd mentioned before. And he would definitely need an extra layer then. "Is there anything else you need, while you have my attention?"

"Just don't forget that I'm in here," Wufei muttered, soft enough that Treize wasn't sure he was supposed to hear. But of course he did, and the General smiled slightly as he once more closed his uniform coat. He gently cupped the barely noticeable lump with his hand briefly to allow Wufei to know he'd heard him, and gave his word that the young warrior would not be forgotten.

It was with that tiny secret hidden over his heart that Treize left his suite to go to his office. Even if anyone did notice that he had something in his pocket, the privilege of rank would keep them from interrogating him. Wufei would be perfectly safe, even in the mere three feet he would be from Lady Une at many points in the day. The General smiled as his subordinates burst into activity at his entrance into the office, bearing reports for him to read and personnel requests to be inspected.

"I want a detailed report on the Gundam attack yesterday, especially regarding the unauthorized weapon used," he said as he took his seat, a cup of hot tea already at his elbow. "Who designed it, who launched it, and what caused its explosion." He took a sip of the tea, settling into his duties with practiced ease. This had been his life for the past few years. "Have the initial findings on my desk tomorrow morning."

The conversation outside of his fabric cage was loud enough for Wufei to hear clearly through the material, and he tried to focus on it more than on the steady beating of Treize's heart behind the 'wall.' Or on the way the General's voice seemed to vibrate through him as the man spoke. It had a lulling effect that he didn't want to admit. He should not have been so comfortable. Being literally kept in Treize's pocket should have been disturbing and should have had him positively infuriated.

He scowled in the darkness of the pocket, at himself as much as at his situation. This was not the way that his second encounter with Khushrenada was supposed to go. He was supposed to defeat the man in an even battle and then kill him, avenging Nataku and his clan. But instead he was in captivity, kept like some prized pet and getting so confused over the things that Treize said and did. Damn that man. Why couldn't he behave like the villain he was?

Somehow, Treize managed to conduct business for several hours without any important information reaching reaching the tiny ears of his secret prisoner. Wufei didn't know if it was because the man had given some sign for listeners or if they were accustomed to always suspecting it. He refused to believe that the leader of OZ would waste half of his day on trivial business. The pilot was ashamed to admit that he dozed off at several points between the boredom and the steady beating of Treize's heart in his warm cocoon, but he couldn't deny it when he jolted awake at a sudden change in the small movements he'd gotten used to.

The General stood up with his usual unhurried grace, well aware of the tiny movement against his chest. He touched the fabric over his pocket lightly to acknowledge the pilot and movement stopped. Still so twitchy. Well, he supposed that it was to be expected. Wufei had only had an evening and a morning to grow used to his new state, and it was clear to Treize that the young man was slow to adjust to changes. Not in combat, of course, but in lifestyle. And he doubted that idleness had even been something Wufei allowed for himself.

Perhaps once he could trust his dragon a little more and set the room up for it, he could begin leaving Wufei in his suite while he attended to his duties. If a quiet hour with a book had calmed him to a level that allowed for pleasant conversation, if short lived, what would regular doses do? It would definitely be worth it to find out, and possibly find out more about the little warrior in the process. But first, there was something that needed taken care of.

For Wufei, the time from when they entered the small room where he could hear water running even before he was removed from Treize's pocket to the time a few minutes later when he was handed off to Marquise was the single most embarrassing instance in his life. He was positive that even his witnessed marriage consummation had not been as bad, since at least that part was a norm for his clan and there'd been someone else to share his shame. But this? This made him want to block the incident from his memory, and for a while he was thankful to be hidden when his new guard tucked him away much in the same way as Treize had. Having Marquise witness him flushed red from head to toe would not have soothed his bruised self image.

Once Wufei had recovered enough from his mental self exile in shame, it quickly became obvious how differently Zechs behaved compared to his superior. The man clearly insisted on ignoring Wufei's presence, and was rarely still. He moved through the base swiftly and with purpose, even inch a soldier. And while Wufei heard significantly more useful information, it was all short term. Unless Wufei managed to return to his normal height and escape or get word out to the other pilots by the following evening, the information would turn stale as plans were carried out.

There was no sense of time inside a pocket, and Wufei didn't really know how long he'd been being carried around like a pocket-watch (ironic as it was) until they entered a room filled with the unmistakable clatter filled noise of a mess hall. Was it really only lunch time? Wufei could only assume that the blond man ate dinner with Treize on a regular basis, and even if he didn't, the pilot rather doubted that he would be expected to eat the evening meal in the mess with its dangers of being discovered on top of the nearly deafening level of noise.

Luckily for him, Marquise didn't appear to be fond of the noise either, for they left the room before long, and, to Wufei's puzzlement, he was able to hear birds a few minutes after. They were outside?

It was only a short time before his 'cage' shifted with the movement of the coat being opened. Two of Zechs' gloved fingers dipped into the pocket and carefully hooked under his arms to pull him out into cold air. Wufei didn't want to think about the way he clung to those fingers until the Lieutenant knelt down and there was earth beneath Wufei's bare feet. He looked up at him, unable to believe just how massive the man hovering over him was.

Zechs looked back down at the tiny pilot through his mask, pulling the white coat from another pocket and holding it out to Wufei. Treize had mentioned the shivers that he'd witnessed, and it would be even colder outside and away from the heating system. The lieutenant watched Wufei pull the coat on before speaking. "You will stay within my sight. If you attempt to escape, I'll contain you after catch it again. It may be with the use of a jar."

Wufei grimaced at the idea of being trapped in a jar like some bug caught by a child. He couldn't imagine it being comfortable at all, or less than utterly humiliating. He used the task of buttoning up his coat to look away from the blond man. "I'll stay close."

The officer nodded in satisfaction and stood up slowly, being polite enough not to make any comments when his temporary ward took a nervous step back. It was only once it was clear that Zechs had no plans on moving that Wufei turned away from him and began to walk around. The edge of the woods look so distinctly alien that Wufei found himself needing to touch and look at everything. When would he ever get such a chance again?

The mask Zechs wore hid the curiosity in his face as he watched the pilot down on the ground. It was such a novelty to see the passionate teenager wandering about exploring. The two images just didn't seem to fit together. His smile was there and gone in an instant before Wufei could look up to catch sight of it. With a silent shake of his head, Zechs gave the boy a little more space as he stepped back a few feet to sit down on a log, taking out the food taken from mess to eat and putting a tiny portion down on top of his overturned thermos lid. When Wufei felt like it, it would be in reach. Until then, Zechs would watch him and try to figure out the puzzle that claimed so much of his lover's attention.


	4. Reluctant Handler

Wufei took his time exploring the small area around his guard's perch, having to force himself into the habit of looking up to check his location after several warning coughs from the older man. He had no reason to think that Zechs had been joking about putting him in a jar, for at least as long as Wufei was under his charge. When hunger eventually struck, he walked back over to where the lieutenant waited with his scraps of food. The simplicity of it, especially after the much more elaborate foods Treize had given him, made the teenager raise an eyebrow. Bread and cheese with a sliver of cold cut.

Far from being disappointed in it, Wufei actually appreciated the plain meal and couldn't help but to be reminded of the ones he'd managed to snatch after missing meals because he'd been deep inside a book at the dinner bell. He took a comfortable seat on the ground before beginning to eat, looking out at the area he'd been walking around.

"You're not what I expected."

The pilot looked up sharply at Zechs, his expression of surprise there and gone within a few seconds and quickly replaced by one of calculation. It was the first thing that Zechs had actually said to him since warning Wufei not to go too far and he wasn't exactly clear on what the officer meant. "How is that?"

"You're quieter," Zechs said after taking a moment to think of the best way to describe the difference between what he expected and what he found. He forced himself to ignore Wufei's snappishness the previous evening, taking in account that the boy had been suffering from a sizable shock. But even then Wufei hadn't been nearly as vocal as he had thought the tiny pilot would have been. Was it still just an effect of the shock, or was his evaluation of Chang's personality truly that far off?

On the ground, Wufei snorted as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Did you expect me to be talking nonstop like the pilot of Deathscythe? We may both be warriors of similar caliber, but that does not mean that we are cut from the same cloth." While he did have some measure of respect for Duo, Wufei still found his nearly constant chatter to get on his nerves. Which was probably the other teenager's goal. He was about to go back to his meal when the sound of laughter started him, making Wufei stare up at Zechs. He didn't think he'd ever heard the man laugh before. "What's so amusing?"

"I don't believe you'll ever need to worry about being compared to 02, Chang," Zechs said with a shake of his head, finding the very idea hilariously ridiculous. If he were going to draw a line between any of the five pilots, it would be either between 01 and 02 for the mad laughter that terrified their troops in battle, or the cold efficiency shown by 01 and 03 in their missions. "Perhaps to 04, for the mercy you both tend to show at times."

"Mercy? You might want to check that your helmet isn't on too tight, Marquise," Wufei said with a snort. As far as he was concerned, the only things he and Winner had in common were wealthy backgrounds and a classical education. "Mercy on the battlefield gets you killed."

"The fact that Lieutenant Noin is still alive would argue your statement," the older man said with an eyebrow raised behind his mask. He felt a small surge of victory when he saw Wufei stop. So, he had gotten through to him, at least somewhat. Zechs leaned down to pick up the improvised table and wiped it off with a napkin before placing it back on his thermos.

Wufei frowned up at him as he stood his ground this time, refusing to back away from Zechs' reach. He'd have to be handled again before they could return to the warmth and relative safety of the indoors, no matter how uncomfortable he found it. Wufei waited until Zechs was finished with the thermos before addressing him. "I don't fight against women. They have no place on the battlefield."

True to Wufei's prediction, a gloved hand was soon reaching for him. But instead of merely grabbing Wufei, Zechs held it out flat with the backs of his fingers not quite touching the ground. The younger man looked up at Zechs suspiciously before stepping up onto it. Wufei had to kneel quickly in order to keep his balance when he was lifted to eye level. "Some don't, I agree, but why the generalization."

Zechs' curiosity grew when it took Wufei a while to answer. His sister, he would do whatever it took to keep off of the battlefield. Treize's rather frightening cousin, any of their overly innocent classmates, the soft hearted Doctor Po before she'd defected, but Noin and, as much as she disturbed him, Lady Une were just as much soldiers as any of the men. Caught in his thoughts, he almost missed Wufei's reply. "They die too easily."

It was a close thing that Zechs didn't immediately ask who had died to make Wufei so solidly sure that women who fought would. Was that why the boy was so set on fighting? The death of a woman in battle? A friend, family member, girlfriend? The last thought just didn't seem to fit the boy in his hand, especially considering that the hypothetical woman surely would have been older than Chang. The pilots themselves were so young (couldn't be any older than his sister), that surely no one younger had gone out to battle.

He promised himself that he would find out about this woman later and cupped his fingers around Chang, noting the way that the boy stiffened. "Are you ready to go back inside? I have duties to attend to."

The way it was phrased, Wufei had a feeling that he really didn't have much of a choice in the matter and he nodded for the sake of simplicity. The teenager didn't particularly feel like being reminded of his utter helplessness. Zechs seemed to be satisfied with his response, and was a little more careful with him than last time when he slid Wufei into his pocket. The younger man didn't know which he preferred more, because being treated like he was fragile wasn't all that appealing either.

Even if he knew it was actually true. That didn't mean he had to admit it.

While he still had a little space to move before the OZ officer closed his coat, Wufei quickly unbuttoned his own and slid it off. The bundled up material would make a good lounging pillow until he was returned to Treize's quarters. At least there, there was a chance of being able to settle in with a book. Or if the General wasn't attentive enough, hack into his laptop to send word to the others for extraction. There was always a chance that one of the doctors would be able to find a method of reversal.

And if there wasn't one... at least Nataku could be retrieved and kept out of enemy hands. Wufei would be unable to bear the thought of her being used against the colonies.

Even neatly tucked away, Wufei tumbled a little inside the pocket when Zechs bent down to retrieve the thermos lid. He'd clearly been forgotten already and the pilot found that that suited him well enough at the moment. Being paid attention to here seemed to mean being handled and asked questions that he really did not want to have to answer about himself.

But then he was proven wrong again as there was the slight pressure of a hand touching over his pocket. "You'll be returned to Treize's quarters shortly. I expect you to behave like a proper guest there."

Of course, Wufei was unable to answer and simply snorted, resettling after his minor tumble. 'Shortly' could mean ten minutes or two hours, and he possessed no way to ask which it would mean this time.

Once Zechs started walking, the gentle motions letting Wufei know what was going on, it didn't take long for the change in surrounding noises and temperature to inform him that they were no longer outside. He sighed. Back in the enemy's base. But it was soon rather clear that they were not returning to Khushrenada's suite just yet. In fact, the harsh sounds of slamming metal and running water triggered memories from his days in boarding school.

Why had Zechs brought him to a locker room of all places?

The man in question opened one of the larger lockers before unbuttoning his uniform coat with care. Wufei felt his fabric prison being pulled away from the other man's chest, but there were no fingers reaching in to grab him. Instead, the whole jacket was folded with the flap on top and set down.

"I'll be back before long," Zechs said from outside, speaking under his breath to avoid getting heard. He closed the locker as quietly as he could with consideration for the tiny ears inside. If he closed it with nearly as much enthusiasm as some of the other soldiers, his ward would likely be deafened. "Try to stay silent."

When Zechs' footsteps retreated, Wufei still waited a few minutes before starting to struggle his way out from the pocket. The locker itself was almost as dark, with just a few streaks of light coming in from the vents to illuminate the space. With that light, he wasn't surprised to see that the locker was mostly bare, only containing Zechs' uniform and boots, leaving him to assume that the man had changed into a set of gym clothes. He supposed it was fortunate that the little 'room' didn't smell.

Wufei paced the locker, killing time he figured out how large it was on his scale. Roughly three times his height wide, making it a little over fifteen feet. He didn't want to ponder the fact that the real measurement was only twelve inches. Twenty feet deep, and he had no way of measuring the height. Of course, the information was served to entertain briefly. Even if he'd had a way up to the lock, the mechanism was too big for him to pick, and he had no way of knowing how far down the fall would be if he had to jump.

He sat down with a frustrated huff, scowling at the thick red fabric that made up his floor at the moment. Left in a locker like a pair of dirty socks. While he knew how simple it was for them to treat him as an object, the fact that he hadn't been yet had likely lured him into a false sense of security. After all Khushrenada's attempts to convince him otherwise, he was still a prisoner, and not even one considered much of a threat.

That alone was more of an insult than anything else he'd suffered since his capture.

With nothing else to do unless he particularly wanted to dwell on the situation, Wufei mapped out the possible tripping points in the 'room' before starting to go through his practice forms. The soft and uneven terrain made for an added challenge along with the darkness. If he was going to be trapped and left unsupervised, he was going to make use of the time. When he returned to his normal size, it was likely that he would have to fight his way to Nataku; he refused to be recaptured due to laziness.

There were three light taps on the locker door before the lock mechanism could be heard turning, giving Wufei time to pull his shirt back on and get out of sight. Marquise pulled the door open and felt for him, carefully picking the teenager up along with his uniform shirt to keep him from being seen. There were too many other people in the room to be able to get the pilot back into his inner pocket subtly. As for Wufei, he wouldn't say that the awkward hand to hand maneuver that ended with him inside one of the man's gloves was particularly enjoyable, leaving him to sympathize with the odds and ends that Maxwell palmed when need or whim drove him to snitch. The purpose of the odd hiding place didn't even make any sense to him, as it meant that he was sandwiched snugly between the fabric of the glove and the flesh of Zechs' hand. Even with it being the left (from what he could tell), it had to make things tricky for Zechs as well.

It was at least somewhat of a relief when they left the hot humidity of the locker room and headed through a number of much quieter hallways. Wufei could hear a few soldiers stopping to formally greet Zechs, and it wasn't hard to picture them snapping their heels together, hand raised to their brows in salute. If Wufei had been in the right glove, they would have been in trouble.

When the boot interrupted silence gave way to a gentle clinking of dishes above the lull of conversation, Wufei frowned in his unconventional hiding place. Just where were they? Surely it was far too early for dinner. It was easy to lose time indoors when one couldn't see a clock, but he refused to believe that he had lost that much.

"Zechs, you've made it. I was beginning to wonder if I was going to have to start without you."

Khushrenada, and in a social mood from the sounds of it. A chair scraped back and fabric rustled as the men shook hands. A friendly greeting, giving away nothing like the kiss Wufei'd witnessed the evening before. He couldn't help but to be reminded of a pair of actors playing counter roles in two entirely different productions. Lovers by candlelight, and proper military officers by florescent.

"My apologies, General. I lost track of time."

"And our visitor? I trust you've been making sure that his needs have been attended to."

Wufei nearly scoffed at Zechs' confirmation. Fed, allowed to wander a bit, and then shut in a room where he couldn't get into trouble. The man would have been a poor sitter had Wufei been a dog, much less a guest. A light touch on his side nearly made the young pilot jump before Zechs tugged the glove off slowly, making sure that Wufei stayed inside it. He immediately curled up and froze, gripping the seam between fingers as the gloves were set down on the table.

Outside, Treize raised an eyebrow at his lover; Zechs didn't normally remove his gloves for tea, and it was impossible to ignore the small lump inside the left one even as Zechs put the second over it. Treize had a feeling that 'lost track of time' was quite the understatement, and that he knew the cause of it too. "I see Lieutenant Noin has arrived a day early."

"Nothing passes you unnoticed, does it Treize?" Zechs asked without denying the fact. If he were another man, he'd have likely behaved sheepishly in the face of being caught. "She sent me a message requesting a match and I'm afraid I underestimated how long it would take."

"It's not like you to put recreation in front of duty so casually, Lieutenant," Treize said, managing to sound mildly disapproving without actually scolding the blond. Zechs had been supposed to take Wufei back to his suite shortly after lunch so the pilot could have some peace to stretch his legs. And from what Treize knew of martial artists, his dragon would take some of that time alone to train as well. Being left behind like that was undoubtedly something that'd make Wufei trust him even less.

"My apologies once more, General." Zechs let himself feel a brief flicker of annoyance towards the tiny pilot still hiding. But the feeling was short lived because he wasn't one to blame his mistakes on others. The blond man shook his head and picked up his tea. There was no point in feeling jealous either. His lover did as he pleased.

Treize nodded his acceptance of the apology and peeled off his gloves to set beside Zechs'. He knew from experience that they were the same size, making an exchange a simple matter. "I'm sure it won't happen too often. How was your match?"

With that, both men relaxed into easy conversation, keeping in mind both the listening ears on and around their table. No matter how high in rank they both rose, so much as a rumor of sexual relations between a superior officer and his subordinate could damage both of their careers, and stop Treize's revolution in its tracks. But as for being friendly? It was no secret that they'd known each other since boyhood.

When the hour they had for tea passed, Treize was careful to pick up the gloves that Zechs had taken off rather than his own. He felt the teenager inside stiffen and hid a sigh. Instead of putting the gloves back on, he slipped them into a pocket, speaking up more for his listeners' benefit than his own. "These seem to have gotten something on them. I'll get a fresh pair from my room."

"Do you want me to join you for dinner tonight?" the blond lieutenant asked. It was usually a given unless they were being watched, but with the unusual circumstances it meant that normal wasn't going to be the standard for a bit. Cautious was, and that was always kept flexible per the situation.

"Not tonight I think," Treize said, his polite smile never slipping. "We'll talk all night and I'll never get my work done. Tomorrow, if nothing else comes up. You can beat me soundly again at chess then."

A small smile tugged at the corners of Zechs' lips. "So says the king to his rook. Tomorrow then."

With a nod from Treize, the two men parted and went their separate ways for the day. The older man had some damage control to do with his tiny guest.


	5. A Confused Secret

Treize did his best to walk normally until he was a few hallways away from the officers' café, his hands linked casually behind his back. Once he reached the elevator, he relaxed enough to lean against the wall with a small sigh. Treize slipped a hand into his pocket, carefully searching until a fingertip touched skin to show Wufei which way in the glove led out. There was a return touch soon after, and he removed his hand to block the view of the pocket should anyone be watching the security feed so Wufei could move all he needed in order to free himself from the tangle of cloth fingers. Truth be told, it was very strange to feel something moving against his leg like that, but it would have been impossible to use an inside pocket without drawing attention. Questions would be asked why. So a pants pocket it had to be. Though it was fortunate that the cut of his pants only allowed for a short pocket or the situation could have been rather embarrassing for both of them.

For Wufei, he was relieved to free himself of the glove. Being inside both layers had been stifling to the point that he'd taken to shallow breathing. Something he would have to inform Treize of in order to avoid a repeat. Of course, it wasn't until Wufei was fully out of the glove that he realized how thin the fabric separating him from Treize was, face burning at the realization. Being in a bare hand was one thing; being pressed against his thigh was something different altogether.

His only saving grace seemed to be that the General seemed just as eager to get Wufei out and walked swiftly back to his suite, a hand drawing Wufei out and into fresh air the moment he had the door locked behind him. Treize frowned in worry when he saw the way Wufei's chest heaved as the pilot knelt on his hand. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Wufei said after a few seconds' pause, as though he had to think about the question. Taking a few deep breaths to calm his breathing, he looked up at the man with a glare. "Do that again and I'll slit your throat with a safety pin while you sleep."

Much to Wufei's mortification, Treize's response was to throw his head back in laughter and to bring the pilot close to his chest, cupping him against the fabric in a hug. And no amount of growling or pushing at Treize's chest made a difference.

"Damn it, Khushrenada, I wasn't joking!"

When Treize managed to contain his mirth (a difficult task when a glance at Wufei's red face threatened to make it spill over again), he moved the boy away from his chest and held Wufei up to get a proper look at him. The poor pilot looked extremely ruffled, both physically and emotionally, so much that the General's face softened quickly and he lifted Wufei up to his lips so he could brush them lightly over black hair. It was no surprise how much Wufei froze in his hands; Treize was even surprised at himself. What had driven him to do such a thing?

Quickly, he brought the boy into his room and set him down on the bedside table as though nothing had happened. From the way that Wufei refused to look at him, the young pilot preferred it that way as well. Treize coughed a little awkwardly and looked away. "My apologies," he said, purely referring to Wufei being mishandled so much by the two of them. Apologizing for the kiss would mean acknowledging that it had happened. "I'll speak to Zechs to make sure it doesn't happen again."

"Appreciated," Wufei said, formal in his manners. It was easy to fall back on his upbringing when he didn't want to react to something, or at least when he didn't want to show his reaction. He brought a hand up to finger comb his hair straight, irritated at the fact that he was still lacking anything to tie it back. Between that and the lack of anything on his feet, he felt constantly undressed.

"I'd meant for you to be brought back here earlier," Treize said, feeling strangely uncomfortable with the silence right then. He crossed the room to go to the bookcase, running his fingers along the spines. "I have to return to my office in a few minutes, but is there a book you would like to read while I'm gone? My selection isn't as extensive as the collection I have in my estate, I'm afraid, but I do have most of the classics in English, a few others in French if you think you can pick through-"

"I know the language," Wufei cut in, finally looking at Treize again. There was a brief flash of yearning when the pilot looked past his 'host' to the books, but he squashed it quickly. Instead, he gave the General a questioning glance, eyebrow raised. "You're leaving me alone?"

Since Wufei hadn't elected to make a choice, Treize pulled out a small volume for him. It was one that would be easier for him to turn the pages of himself, and in French since Wufei claimed efficiency. While he didn't actually think that the pilot had been lying, the General was curious about just how fluent Wufei was. Learning English and Japanese made sense; they were the primary languages through most regions of the world. But adding French to the list made him wonder about his dragon's education.

"I believe you've earned some time to yourself," Treize said with a small nod, setting the book down on the bed and opening the hard cover. He poked through the things he'd taken from the drawer earlier and picked up an old pocket watch to weigh the cover down. "And I suspect being carried around all day is rather maddening for someone like you."

Wufei watched Treize suspiciously as he walked over to the edge of the bedside table and jumped the small gap between it and the bed itself. Despite the General's worry that he would slide back on the squishy slope of the blanket, the pilot made it up just fine and headed towards the laid out book.

It took a moment to turn to the title page, and the large words printed in black there made Wufei raise an eyebrow. "Jules Verne? Fitting to give to a space colonist."

"You've read it already?" Treize asked, surprised but pleasantly so. He started to reach for the book. "I can choose another if you'd prefer. Perhaps something of the same era..."

Wufei reached up to stop his hand, putting himself between Treize and the book. "No, this one is fine. It's been long enough that I should be able to enjoy it again. Thank you."

For the second time in only a few minutes, the boy surprised him. Treize smiled gently and nodded his head in acknowledgment to the thanks. After a moment, he straightened up and stepped away from the bed. "You're welcome, Wufei. I'll return for dinner, but if anyone comes in, do make sure to hide quickly."

"Of course," Wufei said with a distracted nod as he turned the book to the first chapter to begin reading. It barely even needed saying. Two men, perhaps he could escape in time. But a full base aware of his location and present condition? The thought nearly made him twitch. Not to mention that with only the two knowing who he was, and that he wasn't to be harmed, he could easily be killed for worse if anyone found him. Noin, for example.

Treize glanced back at Wufei one more time before heading out of the room to return to his duties. Keeping his mind off of worrying for the boy would be a challenge, but he had a revolution to run. Personal feelings would have to wait for later.

Wufei waited until he was sure that Treize wasn't coming back before letting himself relax completely, letting out a slow breath to keep himself calm and to focus on what he would need to do. He had no doubt that the door and windows were certainly locked securely, but were the air shafts, and could he reach them?

The teenager stood up carefully on the bed, looking around the room properly now that he was actually alone. Treize wouldn't dare allow a camera in his room, so he knew that no one was watching him. For once.

He didn't climb down right away, using his position on the bed to get a better view of where he needed to aim towards than he would have been able to from the floor. The first vent he saw was out of the question. Seven feet up and surrounded only by blank wall. Without the strength to move any furniture to use as a step, it would have been difficult even if he'd been his proper height. No, he would need an exit closer to the ground, and one that he could properly see into before making the plunge.

Once he'd completed his observations, Wufei paced around the edges of the bed to find the safest way down. Treize's bed had been made at some point during the day, which meant that there were no blankets conveniently trailing along the ground to slide down, the edges of them still fairly high off of the ground. If he got down, he would need to find a different way back up. Would the alarm clock cord hold his weight?

Deciding that he would just have to pray that it was heavy enough (after all, he didn't particularly weight all that much), Wufei eased himself from the edge of the bed and carefully climbed down the blanket, letting himself drop the last distance to the ground. Practice had him landing in a good roll, and he got to his feet, looking around the room from the floor for the first time.

That glance almost had Wufei reconsidering his entire plan to escape on his own. It was no wonder that Khushrenada had been keeping him off of the floor since his shrinking. At least when he was outside he could imagine that the plants were new breeds and that perhaps were supposed to be that size. But this...

Wufei shook his head and scowled at himself. Get a hold on yourself, Chang. You have your mission. Even if he couldn't escape on his own in the end, he had to at the very least get word to the others so Nataku could be removed from enemy hands. Her being used by OZ was an idea that he absolutely refused to contemplate. Butter to be destroyed in that situation.

He stopped and listened to be sure that no one was coming before starting to make his way across the room, staying close to the edges of the room as much as he could. Various pieces of furniture could be hidden under if anyone did come in, and only Khushrenada and Marquise would be looking for anything that close to the floor, much less for him. And the bed being made suggested that the maid had already come by. Hopefully the fact that Marquise wasn't dining with Khushrenada would also mean the man would not be back until late.

Wufei froze at a sudden whirring sound, dropping low to the floor in an instinctive defensive crouch, eyes jerking around the vast room to find the source. Had he been wrong about cameras? When nothing happened and he relaxed just enough to pay more attention to exactly what the sound had been, he snorted at his own jumpiness. Louder than he was used to, but just the sound of the heat turning on. A waste, when the room's real occupant wasn't present, but he could not deny that he was pleased. Wufei grew cold easily at this size. Creatures who were naturally this small had faster heart rates to keep them warmer. Since Wufei was supposed to be many times this size, his body didn't know how to make up for it. He would not be informing Treize of the fact, however. The man had too many excuses to touch him already.

When he reached the other side of the room, Wufei quickly found that the gap beneath the door, which had looked so large from a distance, was just too small for him to slip under, even when flattening his body against the floor. Khushrenada's carpenters had done their job well, and he imagined that the gap was meant to be just enough to glide easily over whatever carpet the man chose. A traitorous part of him was relieved by that fact, if just because it meant that he was not so small as to be easily lost. Had he been that small, he likely would never have been found before the local predators got to him. That thought made him shiver. Forget being killed. That helpless, and he would have likely been eaten alive by some bird like an insect. At least at this size, there was a chance.

The pilot forced himself away from such thoughts to focus again. If the door was out unless he had someone to open it for him, he would have to find some other way. It made little sense to put the heat by the ceiling when it always rose, so logic dictated that there was another vent closer to the floor. not on the side he'd kept to crossing from the bed though.

Glancing at the door one last time, Wufei started to walk back the way he'd come, only this time he went under the furniture on the opposite side of the room. It was a mixed blessing how clean Treize's suite was kept. On one side, he had nothing he could use as a tool or weapon. On the other, there was minimal dust on the floor and absolutely no clutter to have to climb over. The odd cord was easy to step around, and they were all tucked neatly, no tangled oils or fraying wires. Yet another thing that would be more dangerous at this size. A small spark in his normal size would be a huge bolt like this.

Wufei paused to rest under a bookcase with a sigh. He hated feeling this helpless. Just how was he supposed to find justice for Nataku when he was less than a foot tall? She would think he was pathetic if she could see him right now, having to sneak around the walls like some escaped lab rodent. He strangled back a sound (not of despair, he wasn't that weak) as he raked a hand through his hair.

He didn't even pay attention to the fact that he'd slid down to the floor, the heels of both hands pressed to his forehead. And even if he did notice the way that his heart had started to speed up, he would never admit to the way that his shoulders were beginning to tremble. Wufei's pride simply wouldn't allow him to acknowledge such a weakness. He'd held strong through all of this, strong since he'd woken up in Treize's drawer the evening before. Helpless and pathe- no, he was not going to let himself think that way! He was not going to falter now of all times, when Khushrenada wasn't even there to be a threat!

He was. But it wasn't was convincing whispered in his head as it would have been shouted to his captor, and of course Treize wasn't there. That bastard.


	6. Adjustments to Make

Treize had mixed feelings about his findings by the end of the evening. On one side of the matter, it had been made very clear to him that his Lady Une had not participated in any part of creating or using the unauthorized weapon. When he'd called her into his office to speak on the matter, she had been just as, if not more, outraged by the fact that someone in the base had dared to do something that extreme without Treize's direct authorization.

Unfortunately, the fact that he still didn't know which of his scientists were responsible meant that he could not risk handing the remains of the weapon to any of them, so he couldn't order them to start finding hypothetical reversals of the process, or even figuring out why what had happened had done so. It would be some time before he had any news to give his guest.

Treize sighed and shook his head as he headed back towards his suite, a folder tucked under one arm with the little information he'd gathered in a classified file. So far, it was purely on hard copy. A spy could not hack what was not on a computer. He locked his door behind him, footsteps soft as he crossed the main room and opened his bedroom door.

The fact that Wufei wasn't in sight was to be expected. Treize had asked the young man to hide when someone came, and he was pleased to see that his advice had been followed. But there was something... Walking over to the bed, the General frowned. The book was still turned to the same page as it had been when he'd left Wufei there earlier. He knew perfectly well that the pages weren't too large for him to turn. Treize had seen him do so already. So why...

He smirked. Ah ha, so that was it. Someone had tried to escape.

Instead of calling out and giving his guest the knowledge that he knew, Treize sat down on the edge of his bed, bending down to remove his boots while silently sweeping the edges of the room with his eyes. He couldn't have left the room without help. So where was he?

Treize really wasn't the type of person to go crawling about on his hands and knees to search for something (or someone) he'd lost, but he rather doubted that Wufei would be conveniently found on top of a surface or wander out into the open. That was simply not Wufei. The General shook his head before carefully kneeling down on the carpet.

Wufei would not hide under the bed, not when it put him with nowhere else to go without leaving cover. Thankfully, that removed a good portion of the area that he would need to search. He started to turn towards the ajar bathroom door when he caught sight of a suspicious flash of white under the bookcase, someplace there shouldn't have been anything.

"Wufei, it's no use hiding..." Treize trailed off when he saw the way that his tiny guest had a leg drawn up to his chest, forehead resting against the raised knee. He grew even more concerned when the pilot didn't get up or move when Treize shifted to kneel in front of the bookcase. "Wufei, come out please."

With the continued lack of response, he sighed and slowly reached into the small and shadow filled space to scoop Wufei's white-clad form into his hands. As much as he didn't like like it, he really should have been expecting this. Even someone as strong as Wufei couldn't put it off forever.

"So, it finally caught up," he said softly, curling his fingers in to gently stroke Wufei's back through the silk. At least that elicited a response, even if it was just for Wufei's attempt to shrug off the back rub. Such a stubborn young man. "You held it off for quite some time. It's admirable."

Wufei's shoulders straightened and he lifted his head to glare up at Treize, the older man politely ignoring the paleness of the small face. He would not try to fool himself into thinking he could imagine the situation Wufei was in, nor would he insult the young man by saying that he could. To be strong and capable of taking on armies one day and then to be unable to safely walk on the floor for danger of being stepped on the next... It was truly amazing that Wufei had stayed so strong. Treize didn't know if he could have done the same, especially surrounded by his enemies.

But Wufei also hadn't demanded to be put down right away for once, and the General liked to think that it was because the teenager found comfort in being held, and not simply because he'd given up. Such a thing would be entirely too tragic.

The pilot coughed uncomfortably before shrugging off the finger still rubbing his back, mildly relieved when it simply lifted away. It was simpler to say it hadn't happened when it was not talked about by either of them. "When should I be ready for dinner?" As if there was anything he could do to get 'ready'. In this state, Wufei had no spare clothes, so even neatening up would be pointless.

"My steward informed me that it would be roughly half an hour," Treize said, bracing his empty hand on the bookcase to stand up smoothly. He would hold Wufei as long as he was allowed to by the spirited young man. "But that gives us time to speak about something before then." He raised a finger to stop Wufei from asking any questions just yet. "Not yet. You can ask me questions in a moment."

Treize walked over to take a seat on his bed, resting his upturned hand on one knee. The only way off would be to climb onto his lap, something that the older man seriously suspected that Wufei would be thus far unwilling to do. Perhaps later, he would not be so skittish. Wufei even appeared to be a bit reluctant to sit down in his hand, but didn't climb out, as predicted. The look he gave Treize clearly read 'what now?'

"As I'm sure you've guessed, your condition was not intentional on our part," the General said softly, mindful to keep his voice low. He didn't want to rile Wufei up again, not when he was still in such a delicate state. For that reason, he chose his words very carefully. "Nor was the weapon at fault authorized by myself or Lady Une. I've spoken to her on the matter, and I fear that she is as much in the dark over it as I am." Treize stopped speaking when there was a visible droop to Wufei's shoulders, only just staying his hand when it wanted to reach for Wufei to provide him with comfort again. He knew it would not be welcomed. "We've gathered the remains to study, however."

Wufei looked up at him with clear accusation in his eyes and Treize had to stifle a sigh. but the teenager wasn't going to wait for him to finish before he said anything, not this time. "Planning to figure out how it works so you can perfect it and shrink your opposition? I'm sure an army of soldiers that can be defeated by a sweep of a push broom would be no threat to your revolution."

"Wufei," Treize said firmly, giving the tiny man a look of disapproval, "I would hope that your opinion of me is higher than that. I have no intention of ever resorting to such dishonorable tactics. We will be looking to see how the weapon worked, but only to find a way to reverse the process. Even in the unfortunate event that you cannot be returned to your natural size, I can give you my word that I will not use these circumstances to my military advantage."

"Only to every other advantage you can manage, is that it?" Wufei snapped, climbing up to his feet to try and better glare at Treize. The fact that he was still staring up at the man just made him more irate at the situation. He had not missed the looks Treize had given him on occasion, or just how eager the man was to handle him. "You deny seeing me as a pet with one breath and then use the other to pass me on to your lover to watch like some colicky infant. And does he know how easily you breach your loyalty to him when he is not around? I'm young, Khushrenada, but not a fool. And despite the fact that he holds affection for you, I doubt that Marquise is either."

Frowning, Treize tilted his hand to off-balance the tiny pilot and wrapped his fingers around Wufei's torso when he fell, ignoring the cry of surprise. If Wufei thought that he was going behind Zechs' back, then he would have to correct him, and quickly. "Zechs has known of my fascination with you since immediately after our duel, and you are correct in his not being a fool. He has known what that would shift into for some time, perhaps before I did, and has given his consent."

"His-" Wufei felt his face go red as that sunk in, and suddenly there was not enough fabric between Treize's fingers and his body. He started trying to pry the man's grip off, needing to get away. "Well I haven't, so put me down!"

"Not until we finish our conversation," Treize said firmly, tightening his hold only enough to get the point across, and not enough to hurt his delicate guest. It seemed to work well enough, because Wufei shut up and just glared at him instead. At least it was better than the unresponsiveness of earlier. "We're narrowing down precisely who is responsible for the weapon. Until then, there is little more than I can tell you about it. In terms of your care though, it will likely be some time until I am able to release you, and I wish to discuss your stay."

"Decided to give me some say in it, or just what kind of flooring to put in my cage?" Wufei asked flatly, clearly assuming that the truth would be closer to the latter. For all of his pretty speech about wanting only to take care of Wufei, Treize had been making his choices for him since he'd woken up in the man's desk drawer. And he hated it.

Treize shook his head and relaxed his hand once more, putting Wufei down on the bedside table and turning to face him. Perhaps he had been a bit too controlling, but he did only want the best for the young man. "Wufei, the restrictions thus far have been for your protection. I could not bear to see you injured as you are. You would be too difficult to stitch back together were you hurt." He sighed, determined to change the subject before it turned into another argument with the young man. "Now, I would like to speak to you on the matter of clothes and a few creature comforts to make the wait easier for you."

"I rather doubt your uniform department stocks anything in my size," he said with a snort, trying to hide how relieved he was to be out of Treize's hands. With a declaration like the one that Treize had just made a few moments ago, how was he supposed to feel? Angry was the most obvious, of course, and he was... just not about that. And thinking about it made it more confusing.

The comment amused Treize, and he chuckled softly at the pilot's expense. "Of course not. However, there are some shops that make rather well constructed doll clothes." Once again, he held up a hand to try and stop the angry tirade. "I realize that you are as far from being a toy as it is possible to be. But you will be needing more than one change of clothes, if just so you won't have to be nude while yours are washed. I'm sure you can see the logic behind the thought."

"I will not be wearing anything that I don't approve of," Wufei said firmly, eyeing Treize. Even out of his hands, the General loomed over him, and he still didn't like it. Wufei straightened his hair and clothes, trying to get his composure together again. "And how do you expect to get the correct measurements for these clothes? I rather doubt you intend to take me to a tailor for a fitting."

He stepped back when Treize reached for him again, but it seemed to only be for Treize to stroke his hair with the tip of a finger, the touch light even to Wufei, and not going past the end of his hair. Treize pulled his hand away after that. "No, that would be too dangerous. I had hoped to borrow your outer clothes while the order is made. I can provide a clean kerchief to wear until then so you won't have to walk around in your underthings."

Wufei flushed darkly and pulled his coat closed tightly as if he was afraid that Treize was going to pull it away and try to strip him right then and there. "No. I'm not unconscious, and I'm not letting you take my clothes again."

"Wufei, that was to tend to your injuries," Treize chided, trying to hide his amusement at the way that Wufei shielded himself. For someone so spirited, the sudden flashes of modesty were absolutely adorable. Not that he would ever tell the young man that. It would be the fastest way to make him vanish under the bed or into the back of the closet if he managed to get in there. "And on the subject, how does your shoulder feel? Perhaps after a bath, I should change the bandage. Before you ask, yes, I am willing to give you privacy to wash. I will be in the room, but I'll give you shelter to be out of sight."

The smaller man looked up at him with clear distrust, not sure that he believed him. Particularly not so soon after Treize's intentions had been so recently declared to him. Wufei was positive that Treize was mad, because why else would anyone dedicate so much attention to their enemy that wasn't focused on trying to kill them? He didn't answer the question, merely shrugging his good shoulder and turning his back to Treize. Facing him gave him no more defence against the man.

Treize shook his head with a small smile, taking his time to stand up gracefully. "I will draw you a bath after dinner. Until then, feel free to return to your book." That had been a courtesy. The General knew that Wufei hadn't been reading it in the first place. The way that he'd found it had been enough evidence for that. But there was no harm in pretending for Wufei's comfort.

Dinner was spend pretty much in silence, and Treize didn't keep attempting to make conversation after his first few attempts were ignored. That didn't keep him from watching Wufei however, and he mentally added a set of scale dishes to go with his order of clothes. Perhaps he could tell the doll maker that they were a gift for his cousin. The girl was never really one for dolls (at least not for the toy sort), but it wasn't likely that she would ever find out about his lie.

At least a bed would not be needed. Wufei seemed to do perfectly well with the one that Treize had improvised, and most other furniture would just be a nuisance to work around. Tables and chairs would tip if they were put in his drawer, and would otherwise have to be put away anytime there was risk of being seen. Though a short stool could double as both without being in danger of falling over...

He was interrupted from his thoughts by Wufei's standing up, the tiny pilot's 'plate' empty on the table, something that Treize was actually rather pleased to see. If he had his appetite, it meant that he was still fairly healthy. It was so difficult to otherwise gauge Wufei's health when he was so small. Even holding the teenager in his hands, he felt more of the heat from his palms than from Wufei's skin.

"You were going to draw me a bath," Wufei reminded flatly. He did need to get clean, particularly as he hadn't had a chance to wash more than his hands since he'd crashed. Maybe he would feel more human again once he'd gotten to scrub down. And Treize had promised him privacy, which was better than the first time that he'd brought up the subject, even if he'd still be in the area.

Treize smiled and put down his silverware, pushing himself back from the table with a nod before standing. "Yes, I do believe I was. How do you like your bathwater, Wufei? It may be a bit hit and miss, but I'm sure I can match it."

"Hot," the pilot informed him, a little disbelieving that he was actually having this conversation with Treize. Then again, it wasn't the first unbelievable conversation he'd had with the man, at least in the context of just who he was. Books, baths, walks... What was next, gardening? "Other than that, I don't care."

"I suspect that I can accommodate that," Treize said, a smirk forming on his lips. Such vague instructions gave much room to adjust as he saw fit, and that was something he enjoyed. He laid his hand down of the table beside Wufei for the younger man to climb on, carefully carrying him over to his desk. "Wait here and I'll bring it to you."

Wait there. As if he could do anything else. Wufei scowled and stepped down onto the wood and folded his arms over his chest. He wasn't looking forward to being naked, even out of sight, so close to the confusing General. So when Treize returned with a lightly steaming bowl in one hand, and a lamp shade in the other, he was greeted with an annoyed glare. Unfortunately, Treize was as unaffected by it as ever as he set the bowl down on the edge of the desk.

Treize clipped a small book lamp to the top edge of the shade, pulling a washcloth out of his pocket and unfolding it to reveal the sliver of soap he'd shaved off for Wufei's use. He gestured for Wufei to go towards the bowl. "There should be room to stand beside your bath once the shade is in place. Go on."

"What will keep you from looking in?" Wufei asked, walking over towards the bowl and watching him in suspicion. He didn't trust Treize before, and he trusted him with his modesty less now.

"I'll place a piece of paper on top once you're settled," Treize said, unable to hide his amusement. "I can assure you, Wufei, that if I wished to see your nude body without your consent, I would not need to use such underhanded tricks to do so. There's a touch of bath oil in the water, which I do believe should help you relax. Take as long as you need." And he picked up the lampshade to place down over Wufei and the bowl of water, clicking on the book lamp before covering the top, as promised.

Taking his time to strip down, Wufei was distracted from his impressions of being in a tent when the scent of the steam finally hit his nose. The miniature pilot growled. The bastard had put rose oil in the water! If Treize heard his indignant yell, the only response he got from the outside of his shelter was a soft chuckle as the General started on his paperwork for the evening.


	7. Under the Shade

Sitting in the bath water, Wufei glared at the reflective surface and at the fading rose-scented steam. It was like Treize was trying to claim him, to mark him with the scent like a beast would. He scowled. No one owned him, much less that bastard. Grabbing the soap, he firmly locked Treize out of his mind, or at least tried to. But the general was not as easy to wash from his thoughts as the grime was from his skin, particularly when he could hear him working just outside of the lampshade. Even if it weren't for the vast difference in size, Treize had an undeniable presence that filled the room without leaving much space for anyone else, even someone at his scale.

Wufei scowled darker and lifted a foot free from the water to scrub it properly despite the lack of a cloth. Perhaps later, when he wasn't so annoyed at Treize for existing, he could ask for one. A bit of cotton would be more than rough enough to be effective. With the way he was paying more attention to bathing than anything else, he didn't hear the pause in Treize's work until the lamp shade was lifted up. It was only a bare inch, not enough for Treize to see in, but it was plenty for a pen to reach in under and catch the little pile of clothes, dragging them out before the shade dropped.

"Bastard!" Wufei shouted, lunging for his clothes, but it was already too late. He glared at the concealing lamp shade en lieu of the actual target of his anger. Somehow, it didn't seem as satisfying. "You gave your word!"

Treize made a chiding sound as he carefully examined the miniature clothes, marveling over how soft the silk felt between his fingers when he took his gloves off. What pieces would be best to send to the doll maker. He could hardly leave Wufei with only a handkerchief to wear after all, even if the idea did have its appeal. "And I have kept it, Wufei. I did not look in, merely borrowed some things. You will need a change of clothes, and I rather doubt I can simply order them from one of the local shops."

"I already told you I wasn't going to lend you my clothes, so put those right back where you found them!" he snapped, wishing that he had something to wrap up in so he could knock the shade over and get at the other man. Even if he couldn't hurt him, he could at least try. It was better than not doing anything at all and behaving as a good little pet.

"Calm down, my dragon," Treize said with a small amused smile that was lost on the other man in his shelter. He easily ignored the muffled snarl Wufei made at the nickname. "I won't send it all at once. As much as I wouldn't mind seeing you parade around in nothing, I'm not going to force it on you. We'll start with your pants and shirt. You'll be covered enough with your overcoat, I think." It went without saying that Wufei would also be left with his boxers. Saying so directly would be crude and embarrass his guest even more.

"I'm not going to let you carry me around dressed only in my overcoat!" the shrunken man insisted futilely, sinking down into the water with a splash when Treize lifted the shade again to slide in his coat and boxers, as promised. As soon as his shelter had settled back onto the desk, Wufei scrambled out of his 'tub' to grab what clothes he could. "The rest of them, now."

Instead of complying or even replying to Wufei's demands, Treize pocketed the miniature clothes and rose from his seat to head to the attached bathroom. The general returned with a washcloth, sliding it under for Wufei to dry off with.

"Don't worry, Wufei, I don't plan to carry you with me while you're half dressed. It would be ungentlemanly of me," Treize said at last, returning to his chair as he gave Wufei time to dry off and pull on the clothes he'd been given. When Treize did lift up the lamp shade, he pulled it up in two stages to give his pilot warning before taking it up the rest of the way and setting it aside. Expectedly, Wufei glared death up at him from the desk, the coat held tightly about him with wet hair about his shoulders. Treize smirked, glancing over all of him in an instant, from that lovely face to the pilot's bare legs peaking from under the coat. He smiled brightly. "All clean?"

While Treize didn't understand the Mandarin words spat back at him in response, he suspected that they likely bordered on the unprintable. There was something about his dragon's temper that was simply adorable. He extended a hand down to Wufei, unsurprised when the proud man refused to step up onto it. Really, the young man needed to learn to relax once in a while. Though his being wound up and cranky was much better than seeing him acting like he'd had his spirit broken.

Treize's lips curved into a smirk as he folded his arms over the surface of the desk, watching Wufei try and tug his coat lower to cover more. Such a modest man, odd for a soldier. "Perhaps a post bath massage would help you relax?" he offered. "While it might not be as good as one done by someone your size, I'm sure it will be of at least some help. You have been under quite a lot of stress these pays few days since the battle."

Wufei stared up at him with wide eyes as Treize spoke, the words sinking in quickly, along with what it suggested in terms of Treize's desires, at least to Wufei. The pilot hastily grabbed the wash cloth he'd used to dry off with, wrapping it tightly around himself as he pointed a finger up at the general. "If you think I'm going to willingly allow you to- to rub your hands over me when I'm half dressed, or any other time, then you're madder than I could have imagined! You will keep your hands to yourself or I will remove them!"

Raising an elegant (if forked) eyebrow, Treize had opened his lips to ask just how Wufei intended to get off the surface of the desk without going back into his hands. But he had barely gotten the pilot's name out when the door behind him opened and Une's distinct voice spoke up. "General."

"Lady Une," Treize greeted, grabbing a thankfully silent and un-struggling Wufei in hand before turning around to face the woman. He couldn't help but to notice how much skin he felt against his hand, Wufei's legs tangled up in his fingers with the haste. He casually kept his hand tucked against the small of his back, showing no sign of the fact that he was cursing his colonel's sense of timing for once. "What do you have to report?"

"We're still investigating the culprits responsible for the other day's unauthorized weapon use," Une said, a folder of notes in her hands to be sure that she didn't miss anything that might need reported to her commanding officer. "The list of potential suspects has been narrowed down some, but will still require more. Our informants haven't reported any sign of Alliance knowledge about our investigation, though they have started making demands in terms of the captured gundam."

Behind Treize's back, Wufei was painfully aware of just how exposed he was if anyone walked around behind Treize, and of just how warm the man's hands were against his bare legs and through his coat. The combination made it very tricky to listen to the woman's report and sift through it for useful information. But as he doubted Treize was going to tell him anything useful, this was likely going to be the only way for him to get any. Still, two of those fingers had managed to go between his legs and were very close to something Wufei didn't want Treize's fingers (or any other part of his body) coming into contact with, even with the thin barrier provided by his boxers. Wufei held onto Treize's thumb tightly while he tried to adjust how he was held, glad Treize couldn't see how much he was blushing.

He absolutely froze when Une mentioned Nataku, ears straining to hear more and willing them to stay on the subject. Treize wouldn't just hand her over, surely? Not that the man cared about the machine's personal value to him, he had to quickly remind himself. But a blind idiot would have been able to see the tensions between OZ and the rest of the Alliance. Treize was not stupid enough to give up what was obviously a trump card. The man was an insane manipulative bastard, yes, but stupid, no. And he wouldn't let go of the extra leverage keeping her provided over Wufei too.

"Gundam 05 is OZ's prize until we're finished with it," Treize said with a clear tone of derision for the Alliance in his voice, something he wouldn't have allowed in any other company. He hadn't missed the way his tiny handful had suddenly gone still. Of course Wufei would want to know what was going to be done with his gundam. Any pilot worth a dime cared dearly for their suit. Anything less and they would never be more than cannon fodder to some army themselves. "The search for the pilot is still ongoing, and having his suit here makes for unmatched bait in the meantime. If they have anything more to say on the matter, they may speak to me on it in person."

"Of course, General. If Chang is found, what actions do you want taken?" Une asked. Any other pilot and they would follow the closest to standard procedure possible with a gundam pilot. But she knew that Treize held special interest for the pilot from L5, even if it did bring up a certain feeling of jealousy despite knowing that the general was out of her reach already, and would remain so. She would still serve him faithfully regardless.

Treize curled his fingers more securely around Wufei as he thought on the question. How to phrase it without directly lying to the loyal woman and without giving away Wufei's condition and the fact that he not only knew where the young man was, but that he was a mere three feet away from her. When Wufei began to struggle in his hold, Treize relaxed his fingers again. Holding him too snuggly wouldn't protect him any more than holding him loosely, after. Wufei wouldn't allow himself to fall.

"Detain him and bring him to me," Treize said at last, as though he'd been struggling with his sense of strategy versus the correct military action capturing a dangerous enemy called for. "Quietly. No one else is to know when we have him other than those directly involved."

The colonel made a sound of agreement before raising her hand in salute. Une wasn't particularly pleased to have so little to report, but keeping the investigation quiet meant they couldn't go as swiftly as she might have liked. She stood in wait until Treize gave her a nod of dismissal, only then turning and leaving the suite.

Treize watched Une go, waiting for the sound click of the door before bringing his hand in front of him to look down on the ruffled gundam pilot he held. He had to hold back a smug smirk at the obvious red in Wufei's face, ignoring the way that the younger man swatted his finger away when Treize tried to brush some black hair back from blocking his view of it. "I hope I wasn't too rough in handling you," he said honestly, bringing Wufei up to eye level and cupping his other hand along with the first to give him more room to sit. "I suspected that you would prefer my hands to my lady's gaze."

Wufei didn't give Treize any reply until after he'd detangled himself from the man's fingers, kneeling on one palm and trying to get the coat to at least go to his knees. It wasn't quite long enough, and he glared up at Treize instead of thinking about how his skin felt. "What are you going to do with my Nataku?"

Ah, he'd been expecting that question. Treize took his seat, turning the chair away from the desk to keep Wufei in his hand and where he couldn't jump down. "At the present time, nothing. As I believe I've said, your gundam is under guard. When we reverse your condition, you will be allowed to take it and go. On the condition, of course, that you do so without harming my men," he said, fixing Wufei with a look. Even his fascination with the warrior in his hands would not make him betray those loyal to him. "Until then, the gundam is an unfairly taken prize, and I have no intention of defaulting it to anyone else."

"I find it hard to believe that that is the only condition," Wufei said, face burning anew at the memory of the recent massage offer.

Understanding what Wufei meant, Treize frowned and cupped his fingers more around Wufei. "Do you really think so little of me, my dragon? Even after being treated well in your captivity thus far? A better officer would have had you caged, treated your injuries, and then interrogated you upon capture, not housed and protected you like I have."

Wufei didn't have anything to say to that and turned away from Treize expectant stare. He would not apologize to the bastard, not after everything he'd been through since his capture. Housed, yes. Protected, from the other soldiers only. And humiliated by the fact that he needed such a thing from his enemy, along with often being treated like a silly child in the process. At least when Treize wasn't trying to seduce him! He folded his arms over his chest, still not looking up at Treize. "Put me down. I'll make my own way to bed tonight."

Surprise upon surprise, he was actually lowered to the floor and allowed to climb out of Treize's hand. Wufei turned to stare up at him in some amount of shock, only to step back as just how big Treize was sank in. Being carried, seeing him from atop a piece of furniture, or even sprawled out on the bed, it hadn't been so obvious. But now, even seated, Treize's sheer size drove in firmly just how small Wufei was.

And then the man stood, and Wufei found himself scrambling back as his heart pounded. Logically, he had already calculated out Treize's height to be bigger than Nataku in comparison, but knowing that versus seeing it for himself at this angle barely put it in the same genre, much less the same story.

"Are you alright, Wufei?" Treize asked in concern after the pilot had not broken from staring up at him wide eyed for too long. Did Wufei think him angry for the veiled accusation? He made to bend down and pick him up again when Wufei threw up his hands in a clear signal to stop. "Dragon?"

"I said I'm walking, and that's what I'm going to do," Wufei said firmly, desperately trying to calm that pounding heart. "Just stay right where you are for a moment and don't move."

Ah ha, so that was what it was. Treize found himself relieved that it wasn't fear of what he'd do that had made Wufei's face go pale, just the fear of what someone his size could do. And while Treize couldn't change their difference in size (yet), hopefully he would be able to help change that fear into something else with a little button pushing. Wufei had so many to push after all.

"I will have to go to my bedroom eventually, Wufei," he said, sitting back down as Wufei started the long walk to the bedroom. Treize took the time to remove his boots, giving the tiny man a head start before standing and taking two steps forward to catch up with Wufei. His guest froze up for a moment before continuing on with determination. Once again, Treize waited a bit and then took a step, pacing Wufei. He repeated the little dance all the way to the threshold, and had been about to step again when Wufei spun around and glared up at him, a finger angrily pointed up at him.

"Stop that! I don't need a damned escort to the bedroom!" Wufei yelled, annoyance in every inch of his posture. All four of them, nearly six if he included the pointing arm. But instead of apologizing, Treize smirked. Annoyance, not fear.

"Of course. I'll wait for you to join me in bed then," Treize said brightly before stepping over Wufei and walking into the bedroom. While he made it appear that he was focused on getting changed, he kept an eye on the shrunken man's progress, chuckling when Wufei refused to look his way. "Would you like to read for a bit before we sleep?"

Still looking firmly at the legs of the bed and not up at the changing General, Wufei thought about it as he kept going. "Only if it's on the night stand. I'm not getting into your bed." Not when he had already fallen asleep there once. "And where I can get into my room without help."

"You won't be as comfortable on the stand, but I suppose I can make you a way down to your drawer," Treize said, finding no real reason why Wufei couldn't. A compromise, since he had no intention of giving in on the clothing issue. "Steps, perhaps. Though they will likely need taken apart while I am not here."

"I won't be up there then anyway, so it won't matter," Wufei said with a grumble, stopping next to the bed. He waited for the rustle of cloth to end before looking up and making a face. There was no other choice. "Lift me up there."

Treize chuckled, reaching down and gently scooping Wufei up to deliver onto the night stand, holding him no longer than necessary for once. "Perhaps a please would be appropriate next time, my dragon."

"Maybe when you start using it," Wufei said with a snort, stepping onto the table. He ignored Treize to walk over to the book the man had put there for him, not even looking up when the light changed from the overhead to a lamp. As Treize settled in, Wufei pretended not to hear the man's chuckle or his soft "Good night," but habit had him answering it before he could stop himself.

Damn bastard.


	8. A Doll's Frustrations

For once, it sounded as though Treize were still asleep when Wufei opened his eyes in the morning, staring up at his 'ceiling' as he lay in bed. He pulled the blanket up over his bare shoulders for warmth. His tank top hadn't provided much warmth either, but it had been better than nothing, and gave him some modesty. Not having it, especially when he didn't even have his pants, made him feel exposed. Boxers and a coat just didn't make up for it.

Wufei huffed and started the slow process of extracting himself from the bed, reaching over to where he'd put his coat the night before to pull on. Why was there light- oh, Treize must have left the reading lamp on after Wufei had climbed down to go to bed. If it weren't for the soft breathing he heard from the main room, he would have wondered if the man ever slept.

The idea of Treize as some un-sleeping demon amused Wufei as he walked up the book steps the general had set up for him, standing up on top of the nightstand before turning to face his host. He almost smiled at the sight of how peaceful Treize looked before stopping himself. There was nothing to smile about in regards to the bastard, and he would keep reminding himself of that until he stopped forgetting.

When Wufei glanced at Treize again (to show himself how silly it was to even think about smiling), he nearly jumped out of his skin. Blue eyes were open and watching him, their progress the only movement that the giant man made until Wufei glared. The general chuckled as he shifted his weight to push himself up onto an arm, still watching his tiny charge.

"Good morning, Wufei," he said softly. Treize brought a hand up to try and tame his sleep mussed hair, not that it really needed much. How presentable that bastard was nearly twenty-four seven was disgusting. Unaware of Wufei's inner growlings, the older man smiled down at him. "I hope you slept well."

"I would have slept better if you hadn't taken half of my clothing from me," Wufei snapped, only to glare harder when it produced another laugh from Treize. Of course the pervert would find that amusing. He'd been the one responsible for it all. "Stop laughing, you bastard!"

Treize reached over to touch Wufei's cheek with the tip of a finger, retracting his hand when Wufei jerked back. "My dragon, can you blame me when you puff up so predictably? And I suppose you'll yell at me for that as well, of course."

"I will n-" Wufei abruptly stopped himself from, well, doing exactly as Treize had predicted he would, and what he had been in the process of saying he wouldn't do. The bastard. In a very forcibly calm voice, he scolded the man. "I will not. But it's time for you to return to primary school if you never learned how to keep your hands to yourself, Khushrenada."

"Ah, but why should I keep my hands off of something that is mine?" Treize asked, raising a finger when Wufei opened his mouth to cut him off with another growl. "Mine to pursue, Wufei, not to own. I would not dream of lowering someone like yourself to a possession."

Far from soothing his temper, the claim just made Wufei glare and growl even more, ready to bite the man's hand if he decided to touch him again. Just what the hell was the bastard thinking, saying something like that? "I'm not yours at all! So stop making stupid claims like that!"

"Would you rather be the one claiming, Wufei?" Treize asked, and his guest abruptly flushed at the deep purr there was in the older man's voice. He wanted to deny just how quickly that sound went straight through him and down to a particular part of his body he didn't want to associate with Treize. Ever.

"That," Wufei said with another growl even as his face stayed a deep red, "Is not what I meant, and you know that, so stop playing dumb. The only thing I want to do with you is escape you, and then kill you."

The infuriating general just smiled and slid from between the sheets, standing up and gently reached down to scoop up the angry teenager, ignoring his protests even as he moved away from the nightstand to gently set Wufei down on the floor before stepping away from him. With how Wufei had reacted to being so close on the floor yesterday, a repeat wasn't really needed. He didn't like Wufei being afraid of him. "Is that really what you want, Wufei?" Instead of waiting for an answer (and he suspected that the one Wufei gave wouldn't be completely truthful anyway), he turned to walk over to his wardrobe so he could begin to dress for the day. "As I promised, I'll be leaving you here today. I thought that you might enjoy the chance to stretch your legs after being handled so much these past few days."

"I would do better being let go," Wufei said with a huff, quickly moving under the night desk and away from those giant feet walking about the room. Even an alert man trying not to hurt him could make mistakes in a moment of carelessness, and he didn't want to risk being stepped on. Even if Wufei could accept the fact that he might die in this war, he wanted it to be in battle and with a purpose, not some pathetic accident. "You don't seem to be making any progress in undoing this. My handler would likely be just as likely to find a cure."

"Your handler doesn't have the weapon remains," Treize corrected as he changed into his uniform pants, carefully doing up the buttons before going on to the next piece. Everything in its proper order, as always. Anything else would end up a mess, and not fit for an officer who had others looking up to him like Treize. "So no, he would not be as likely. I prefer to keep you here where I can be sure of your safety until you're in a state to defend yourself from danger." He smoothed his hands over the thick material of his jacket to make sure that it laid smoothly. "And on that note I will caution you that this is a trial run on the wisdom of leaving you unguarded. I hope you will not be reckless enough to try and escape this room. My soldiers don't know you're here, true, but that means they don't know to watch themselves either."

The shrunken man snorted, folding his arms over his chest as he leaned against the leg of the night stand, glaring up at Treize. "If you think I'd let myself be trod upon by one of your idiotic men, you must be sampling your scientists' other experiments in your spare time. The result isn't becoming." And what he didn't say was that he had no plan on risking being found when he was undressed like this. But if Treize knew, it seemed likely that the bastard would decide that keeping his clothes would be an easy way to keep him well behaved. Ha. "When will you be back? So I can be sure to be out of the way when you stumble back in."

"I'm afraid I won't be able to return until after dinner, but I'll be sure that something is sent in for you to eat," Treize said with a small smile across the room at him. Why, it had almost sounded like Wufei cared, even if that was likely hoping for too much at this stage. He didn't miss the small jerk back when he walked over to Wufei's hiding spot, kneeling down on the floor to keep his eyes on Wufei. "Zechs has some free time this afternoon, I believe. I doubt he'll begrudge being asked to bring something in."

Whatever Wufei muttered under his breath as he shrugged his shoulders and moved from his leaning post to walk further under the nightstand, effectively dismissing Treize from his sight. He wasn't pleased that anyone had to come in and bring him a snack like a small child, but he knew he couldn't get anything himself, and at least Marquise already knew he was there and would put the food someplace he could actually reach. Some confused maid would probably leave it on the desk, where he'd have to climb up to get it.

"Until later, my dragon," the general said with a small chuckle. He touched a hand to his lips and then to his pocket, where he'd carried the spirited young man several times now, and currently held his borrowed clothes until he could get them to his appointment with the doll maker. Wufei may growl now, as he had expected he would, but he would be glad to have something else to wear when the craftsman was finished. With that in mind, he turned to leave the suite, keeping a sharp eye out to make sure that Wufei didn't make any attempts to run out and slip through the door. It would be so easy for him to get hurt that way. He would just have to hope that Wufei didn't get into any trouble while he was away.

Wufei didn't come out from under the nightstand right away after the door had been shut behind Treize, brooding silently beneath the piece of furniture. He was sure he didn't want to imagine what sort of clothes Treize might order for him, though he was curious about how the man, a grown general, was going to explain the fact that he was getting custom made doll clothes. Wufei was sure he didn't have any children or he'd have at least heard mention of them even if they were kept safe elsewhere. But with his luck, there would be a young cousin or something. Best not to think about it.

With that in mind, he walked out from under the nightstand and eased himself into his starting forms. Some training would help him relax, and make him less likely to go off at the man and amuse the bastard even more. Who knew, maybe he'd even figure a way out of there.

As for Treize, he had his uniform jacket off and left in the military car waiting for him out front as he stepped into a rather old but well-kept shop, politely glancing around at the many dolls of different styles, sizes, and shapes, his hands linked neatly in the small of his back. The bell chimed again as the door shut behind him, and a muffled call of 'I'll be with you in a moment' came from someplace out of sight in the back of the doll shop.

"Not every day that I get decorated officers calling in about doll clothes," the old man said as he emerged from what Treize had to assume was his workshop in the back, wiping something off of his hands with a cloth that had seen better days, if not for many, many years from the looks of it. "Did you bring the existing pieces like I asked?"

"I did, though I will say they weren't easy getting off the doll," Treize said with a small chuckle. After all, Wufei had resisted the idea of a bath, and of making more clothes, quite ardently. He carefully retrieved the envelope he'd put them in after leaving Wufei in the suite, opening it up to display the simple but well-made clothes. "I'm afraid my cousin was not willing to leave the doll naked, so we will have to do two orders."

The old man peered at the clothes in Treize's hand carefully, his eyes widening in pleasure at the fine stitch work visible even on such tiny samples. He straightened up and gave Treize a nod. "Bring them to the back, and I'll get my hands scrubbed up. Wouldn't want to get anything on pieces like those. Chinese style, you said?"

"From what I've been told." Holding the clothes carefully, Treize followed the old man back, ducking under things hanging from the ceiling and around overstuffed shelves through a doorway that hadn't been visible from the entrance to the shop. "Perhaps a little out of its time, but still quite a prized piece, if somewhat temperamental in its care."

"Ha. The best ones always are," the old man said with a cackle. He went over to a small sink in the cluttered workshop, scrubbing his hands thoroughly before reaching for the clothes, which the general handed to him without hesitation. This was, after all, why he had brought them. "Perhaps you could tell me a bit about how your cousin came by it. I never heard anything about Miss Catalonia being fond of dolls, at least not the style of these fine examples."

Remaining standing as there were no other seats than the small stool the old man readily claimed as he put down a clean cloth on his workbench to lay Wufei's clothes on, Treize chuckled. "This is one of a set of five which I believe are the only exceptions." And his damaged cousin likely would agree on the metaphor of those pilots as valuable toys, even if he wouldn't exactly call Wufei her's. Or at all. If the young man belonged to anyone at all, it was himself. Treize had invested too much in Wufei to allow someone else to take claim. "I only have access to the one, however, and it's not important that any of the clothes match with the other dolls'. They're styled after different countries."

"Spoken like a man who doesn't know dolls," the old man said with a dry chuckle. "But very well. What sort of clothes are you thinking of for this one? Something a little more ornate and traditional perhaps? I once made a set styled after an emperor for a young lady in France. They came out quite nice."

"Nothing that complicated," Treize said, shaking his head with a smile. He doubted that Wufei would be willing to wear anything like that, no matter how handsome he was sure the pilot would look in them. "A simple set of pants, and a shirt if you can use the measurements from the jacket. One in red and black, and perhaps another in white. It's important that they're made as soft as these, no matter the cost involved."

"Those are dangerous words when it comes to demanding quality, young man," the old man said with a smile, grabbing a pad of paper from someplace beneath the desk and scribbling down notes in it. "We'll need to use finer cloth than I normally order for doll work, of course. Most customers want stiff material that will hold its shape without padding. But! I can find anything with the proper amount of time. Is there a deadline for the young lady's gift?"

"I was hoping within a few weeks, if you can manage it," Treize said, a smile of his own making its appearance as he set forth the challenge. When the old man's eyes lit up, he knew he'd used the correct phrasing to get what he wanted. "The stitching size will need to match as closely as you can as well. I'm afraid I don't know how the original artist made these of course, but I'm sure no one will be disappointed in what you produce."

"If any of my customers ever walk away disappointed, I deserve to have my tools taken away and handed to a toddler to play with," the man said, raising his nose. He put on a pair of reading glasses, gently rubbing the fine silk between his fingers. "Yes, I believe I know where I can find something like this. And you are sure you cannot bring in the doll itself? I can work from these, but I could do so much better work with the model they're for."

Treize chuckled softly and shook his head, amused at the mental image of Wufei raging over being asked to pretend to be a doll for the old man, especially when he had been against giving up his things to get doll clothes made for him. "I'm afraid my cousin is quite insistent against letting any of her dolls out of her home. She's rather difficult to make change her mind when she's set on something."

"Of course, I have heard as much," the old man said with a nod and a chuckle, even as he was denied. Working with customers for many years, he certainly understood that women could be very particular when it came to their dolls. Especially women as eccentric at Miss Catalonia, he was sure. "I will call on you if I have any questions or concerns about your order, and of course when it is finished. A pleasure doing business with you, duke."

"The pleasure is mine," Treize said gracefully before excusing himself from the workshop so the doll maker could get to work. Surely Wufei would want his things back as quickly as he could get them, but he hesitated in rushing the old man and risking having to present poorly made clothes to his dragon. No, that would not do at all.

Treize paused when he was about to leave, his hand on the door knob for only a moment before he pulled it away and turned back to the interior of the shop. "Actually, I do believe I may need a few more things that you may have in stock. Not clothing, but a few things to help furnish the house she has for his scale doll."

With the promise of a sale, the shopkeeper peeked out of his workshop and emerged back into sight, an eyebrow raised. "Furnishings, hm? What sort did you have in mind?"

"Just some things to make a doll more comfortable," Treize said with a small smile. Yes, some gifts for his dragon to put him at ease. That would do nicely.

Zechs was not sure if he was irritated about being asked to bring Treize's pet pilot a meal, or intrigued at the chance to speak to him again without his lover present making Chang growl with every breath. Neither state of mind kept him from slipping a nicely rounded meal out of the officer's mess and heading to Treize's suite with it of course. Any irritation he had was to be directed at Treize, not Chang, for giving him the task. And no one questioned why he was going into the other man's rooms when he was not there. It wouldn't be the first time, and it wouldn't be the last.

He opened the door slowly, just in case the teenager was near it on the other side, eyes sweeping the floor near him before stepping inside and clothing the door behind himself. So far, no sight of Chang, but all that meant was that he wasn't in the office portion of the suite. That still left quite a large area, at least in Wufei's scale, that he could be hiding in.

Much to his surprise, when he got to the bedroom, he found that the young man wasn't hiding at all, but appeared to be training. Though the bare legs he could see under his coat whenever Chang performed a kick made him curious, and he doubted that the young man was simply going without his pants for the hell of it. Which made him suspicious. What was Treize up to? Since Wufei hadn't noticed his entry (he assumed he must have been rather wrapped up in his training to miss a giant walking into the room), Zechs lightly knocked on the door frame to announce his presence rather than just standing there and waiting to be noticed.

Predictably, Wufei jerked alert and stared up at him with wide eyes, startled that someone had managed to come in without his noticing. He quickly recovered his composure, at least until he remembered his state of undress, a tinge of red creeping in from the back of his neck. "Marquise. Is it meal time already?"

"Treize told you I was coming, I assume?" Zechs asked, bending down and offering the younger man a hand. Wufei eyed it for a moment before reluctantly stepping onto the gloved palm, telling himself to be thankful it wasn't a bare hand. He lifted the teenager up onto the nightstand before retrieving the small container he'd hidden away his meal in. "A little after a proper lunch time, actually, but it took a bit to get away. Can I ask what our mutual acquaintance is doing with your wardrobe?"

Wufei scowled, waiting for the container lid to be pried open while he stood by, forcing his hands away from trying to tug the coat lower. It hadn't helped with Treize earlier, and he'd been the one Wufei had really been suspicious of. "He claims to be getting more things made, between taking the opportunity to ogle me and all but molest me behind his lover's back." He shot the blond a look, as if to demand why he didn't have Treize on a shorter leash.

To his mortification, instead of looking upset or annoyed that Treize was apparently cheating on him, Zechs looked amused and actually dared take the moment to sweep his eyes over Wufei himself. "Chang, Treize has made no secret of his fascination and intentions towards you to me. Nor does it upset me to have to share him that these circumstances. And quite honestly, I believe I'm starting to see why he has such attractions."

"No," Wufei said, staring up at the blond with hugely wide eyes as the red crept further into his face. Both of them? Zechs was supposed to be the reasoning force behind Treize's new form of lunacy, not join him in it! "No, you're just saying stupid things so I'm going to forget what I just heard and we're never going to speak about it again."

But Zechs merely chuckled and leaned against the wall beside the table, folding his arms across his chest. Clearly, he wasn't about to let Wufei play his silly game of denial. "I've never known you to ignore the truth in front of you so foolishly," he said, eyes firmly locked on the blushing pilot on the table.

"Then you can both learn to just keep your hands to yourself and stop trying to- to flirt with me!" Wufei shouted, red in the face and feeling flustered beyond belief. He turned his back to firmly ignore the OZ officer, pretending that the man wasn't there with every fiber of his being. The alternative was just too embarrassing. Wufei started in on the simple meal he'd been given, even if he wasn't exactly hungry at the moment. But it served as a distraction.

Luckily for the little scraps of dignity, Zechs kept his growing amusement silent. Though he still felt eyes on him the entire time, and it didn't have the feeling of just being observed for curiosity's sake. No, Wufei could still feel that confessed interest and it was going to drive him insane as long as Zechs was there. He turned to glare up at the blond. "Is there a reason you're still here?"

The blond smirked. "Just waiting for you to finish so you can be lifted down to the floor again before I leave," he said, still casually leaning against the wall.

As if he needed reminding of the fact that he couldn't do something as simple as get off the top of a nightstand without help from one of his captors. Wufei grumbled and did his best to ignore him until he had completely finished his meal, standing up and moving away from the container that Zechs had brought it in. "Lift me down and get out of here. I'm not in the mood for company."

"It's fortunate then that Treize said to leave you here," Zechs said with a smirk, leaving that little suggestion there that he might have carried the younger man off otherwise, even in his state of undress. And that he owed Treize some gratitude. The lieutenant held his open hand in front of Wufei, letting him climb up onto it. Instead of immediately putting him down though, he lifted him up to eye level. "Though before I go, I have a small question for you."

"Why should I tell you anything?" Wufei asked with a growl, folding his arms over his chest. He didn't need to hold on as long as he was sitting. Zechs wouldn't drop him, and he'd have little defense if the man decided he wanted to fling him. Not that he would.

Zechs shook his head at Wufei's hostility. Really, perhaps Treize had something with his desire to make the boy open up more. It couldn't be healthy. "Just idle curiosity. Before, when we were outside, you made a reference to 'her.' Who is she?"

Wufei stared at him. How could he have slipped up that easily around him? He hadn't even slipped up around the other pilots that badly. His expression changed to a cold glare. "Put me down, Marquise."

Instead of responding verbally, Zechs sighed and brought Wufei closer to brush a kiss over the pilot's head, making his intentions perfectly clear before bending down to release him onto the floor. "Enjoy your time alone, Wufei. I doubt you'll have much of it until you've been cured from your condition."

Predictably, Wufei scrambled off to under the nightstand, where at least he'd have some cover away from this mad officer. Those uniforms had to have some effect that made the people who wore them go crazy. It was the only explanation he could think of, unless insanity was just a requirement for recruitment and advancement.

The pilot didn't come out until the sound of footsteps had faded away with the door opening and shutting to signify the blond's exit. Now that he was alone and could allow his dignity to slip, Wufei could feel the heat burning in his face. Just what had the idiot been thinking! One giant enemy flirting with him had been enough, how was he going to survive two?! He couldn't imagine what would happen if they decided they wanted him to join in their coupling, because he knew he wouldn't be able to escape them. The thought sent a shiver through him, from what he was absolutely positive was fear. It had to be. There just wasn't any other option, except perhaps for the chill of being pants-less and tiny. Yes, the only possibilities there were. Maybe he'd ask Treize to turn the heat up more in his suite until he had his clothes back. He didn't want to risk getting sick like this, when he couldn't even see a doctor. And with how much the bastard seemed to want to dote on him, he'd probably be willing.

Furious with being caught like that and the other man playing with him, Wufei threw himself into his training with even more focus than before, growling as forcing himself to keep their faces as his enemy if they were going to keep invading his thoughts. And not images like... that.

When Treize made it back to his quarters, he was rather surprised to see that Wufei was still training, though as he made it closer to the young man, he could see the trembling in those tiny limbs. Foolish boy, pushing himself past even his limits. When he stepped close, Wufei froze and spun on his heal to stare up at Treize, taking a moment to catch his breath and pull himself from his focused training. Though that face was a little paler than Treize liked to see, and he knelt down, resting his hand a little ways away from his dragon.

"Wufei, are you alright?" he asked softly, not pushing for his pilot to come to him, not yet at least. Let him relax a little from whatever had been driving him to strain himself so.

"I'm fine," Wufei snapped with a growl, glaring up at him. "I don't need your help, or the help of your nosey, flirting lover! You should have left me where I crashed!"

Flirting? Clearly, Zechs had decided to take a step towards luring Wufei in himself. Hopefully it wouldn't prove to be too soon. Treize slowly knelt down so he was at a better height to speak to him without having to lift the obviously aggravated pilot. Wufei didn't seem like he would take well to it at the moment. "You know I couldn't do that, Wufei. I do want to help you."

"You only seem to want to help yourself to me," Wufei snapped, glaring up at him. It was easiest to be angry, always had been.

Treize was quiet for a while, just watching Wufei without moving. Perhaps he had been putting too much pressure on Wufei, especially with their prior relationship as enemies on the opposite sides of a war. A relationship that even he had to admit would resume once Wufei was returned to his natural size and set free to return to combat.

"I apologize, Wufei," he said at last. Just a simple statement, no grand posing to dress it up. No, that wouldn't help with his dragon. "I have been too forward with you."

Ready to deliver a full rant on the behavior of the pair towards him since his capture, the apology stunned Wufei silent. Dark eyes stared up at Treize in shock. The plainness of it was enough to tell Wufei how sincere the general was actually being, that it wasn't just another trick to try and manipulate him.

He swallowed, failing at finding the right words to respond with. No denial or acceptance of it sounded honest on his tongue. So he gave up and just looked away from Treize.

"You may lift me to the nightstand now," he said at last, changing the subject entirely instead of responding. He doubted he needed to say one way or the other anyway. "And I'll take some tea before bed."

Treize smiled softly and merely offered his hand to Wufei.

"Of course."


	9. Amendments

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I know it's been a while, but here's a new chapter of DimH. I hope you enjoy and thank you for your patience.

The evening had been strangely pleasant after Wufei's blow-up at Treize, something that left Wufei feeling even more confused than the General's flirting had. After all, they expected the older man to just push until he got what he wanted, and worse, until he convinced his opponent that it was what they wanted too. One thing Treize did _not_ do was step back and slow down.

Except... he had. He'd only touched Wufei to lift him up to the nightstand, as Wufei had asked, had brought him the tea, sweetened with a little honey from the taste, and then had left him alone. Wufei almost hadn't known what to do with the quiet company, which was completely ridiculous because usually that was the only sort of company that he tolerated. So what was it about the quiet turning of pages with Treize that had suddenly made him want to start chatting like Maxwell on painkillers?

Those questions weighed heavily on his mind as he laid in his make-shift bed the following morning, looking up at the underside of the top of the nightstand. He'd heard Treize getting up and going through his morning routine of grooming a while ago, but hadn't made any motions to rise himself as he put off the day to think. Unfortunately, he wasn't really getting anywhere with that. Treize actions still felt just as confusing as they had before he'd gone to sleep.

And still, he didn't move until there was a soft tapping on the 'ceiling' of his temporary bedroom.

"Wufei, breakfast has arrived if you're hungry," Treize's voice said softly from outside, as though he were trying to make sure he didn't wake Wufei if the pilot was still sleeping. It was almost sweet- no, he was not going in that direction. Not now, not ever.

To distract himself, Wufei pushed back the glove still serving as his blanket and stood up. "I'm awake. Give me a moment." A moment to pull on his jacket so he wouldn't be facing the man in his boxers again, and to pull his mind away from the unanswerable questions floating about it. Grabbing his overcoat, he slid it on and buttoned it up all the way, making sure he was well covered. "Alright, you may open the drawer."

Even with how carefully Treize slid the drawer open, Wufei still had to brace himself against the side of the drawer to keep himself from stumbling. But he was too stubborn to go down onto three points or kneel as he did when he was in Treize's palm. Light flooded in and he had to shield his eyes as he peered out at the giant of a man who was his captor, and his caretaker, something he was only just starting to come to terms with.

"Where would you like moved to?" Treize asked, offering the younger man an open palm. It seemed like he was being serious with his effort to be less forward with Wufei, and that took the pilot aback for a moment before he gathered his thoughts enough to respond.

"Just to the table," Wufei said, stepping up onto Treize's palm and positioning himself enough to be properly stable. Maybe letting the other man wrap his fingers around him would have been safer, but he couldn't bring himself to suggest such a thing and thankfully Treize hadn't suggested it either.

He was silent as Treize straightened up and carried him from the bedroom to the room beyond with the promised meal set up on the table, breakfast for one that was easily shared with someone Wufei's size. Then again, a single cup of tea was easily shared without either of them having to sacrifice so much as a full sip to allow the other a full cup.

Wufei steered his thoughts off in another direction as the general's hand was lowered down onto the table so he could step off, which he did in an outwardly calm fashion. It was almost disturbing how used to that he was getting. He could only hope a cure was found before he came used to too much else or who knew what could happen.

A 'plate' of food was lowered down onto a make-shift table (a small book, low enough that he could still sit on the table), making Wufei realize that Treize must have dished him up while he was thinking. He puzzled over what he was being served on before moving a piece of egg aside to see a bust cast onto it. "A coin?"

"Well cleaned, I assure you," Treize said with a smile as he took his seat on the other side of the small table. He'd taken a bit to figure out what could be used, since a spoon seemed like it would be depressing for his dear pilot to use for very long. And while a coin was also a reminder of his size, covered in food it wasn't so obvious. He hoped at least. I thought you might appreciate something a little more manageable."

It was... considerate, and Wufei gave the older man a nod of thanks for the thought before starting to eat. It really was nice to have something a little more his scale, small enough that he could pick it up himself without needing to sling it over his shoulder like an overly large shovel. Food still felt different at this size, thicker, denser, altogether a little strange, but the touch of normalcy was still appreciated nonetheless.

"I also thought that you might enjoy the luxury of a bath this morning," Treize said after a few minutes of quiet eating. When he saw Wufei's shoulders stiffen, he raised a hand. "A private bath. I'll leave the water in the bathroom for you before I have to leave. Which, unfortunately, will be in a few short minutes."

"In that case, yes, I would appreciate a bath. _Without_ rose oil," Wufei said, giving Treize a sharp look when the older man's lips twitched in amusement. "I don't need anything making my skin any softer, and I _certainly_ don't need you making me with scent like some animal."

This time Treize did chuckle, shaking his head. "I merely meant to sweeten the scent of the water, Wufei. But, as you wish. I will refrain from putting any oil in this time. Now then, if you will excuse me. I'll help you down before I leave, but until then feel free to continue your breakfast."

The general god to his feet and headed back into the bedroom with its attached bathroom, and Wufei could hear water running as Treize moved about to finish his preparations for the morning, not that Wufei could figure out just what more needed to be done to the man's already perfectly put together image. Treize stepped out at one point and poured a fresh cup of tea despite his own claim to be needing to leave soon, but instead of sitting down to drink it, he carried it back into the bedroom with him before returning once more to stand by Wufei's side of the table, a gloved hand held out in offer to Wufei.

As for the confused tiny pilot, he'd stopped eating while trying to figure out just what Treize was up to, but seeing that hand before him made the decision for him. Wufei stepped forward and onto Treize's palm, starting when the man curled his fingers. But rather than grabbing him like Wufei thought he would for an instant, they stopped just bent at a height to give something to hold onto for balance instead of forcing Wufei to kneel when he still lacked his pants, or risk falling over when he was so high up. Wufei murmured a small 'thank you' as he was carried to the bedroom and to the doorway of the bathroom, where Treize stopped instead of entering.

"I shall leave you here then," he said with a gentle smile, smoothly going down onto a bent knee and allowing Wufei to step off onto the floor. "If I do not see you on my return, I'll will be sure to knock. Until later, my Wufei."

Wufei growled at the verbal claim and pointedly did _not_ return Treize's farewell as he marched through the gap in the cracked open door and waited until he couldn't see Treize any longer. Obviously, the general hadn't entirely given up on his pointless chase. He supposed that _that_ was still too much to wish for.

Still, it was a pleasant surprise to see that the bowl of hot water and soap shavings were not the only things that Treize had left behind for him in the bathroom. The mysterious cup of tea was sitting beside it, a thimble on the saucer at the case of the cup for him to use to drink from. Since the other man wasn't around to see it and be made to think that he was making progress, Wufei allowed himself to smile as he undressed for the bath. Maybe he'd be able to survive this ordeal after all.

* * *

Treize searched Une out shortly after leaving Wufei in his quarters. He had an idea for something that might make the tiny man's present situation a little easier, but it required an item that he couldn't go fetch himself without making eyebrows raise.

Rather like Une's at the moment, really.

"A fish hook," the woman repeated, not entirely sure that she had heard her superior correctly, or if he was simply pulling her leg. But Treize just nodded with his usual charming smile. Damn him.

"A small one with three or four prongs, ideally, and some very light fishing line to go with it," Treize elaborated cheerfully. "It's for a personal project of mine, but I can't seem to find the time away from work to fetch it myself. I would ask Zechs, but-"

"That will be quite unnecessary," Une said, interrupting him. It was a dirty trick on his behalf, but one that was always so effective with her as much as she rather hated it. The colonel knew of their relationship, and was admittedly quite jealous of it, but far too loyal to act out directly when it risked harming Treize and his revolution to do so. "I'll have them on your desk by this afternoon."

Treize inclined his head in gratitude, smile on his lips. "I knew I could count on you to help, as always. You have my thanks, Lady Une."

"Perhaps you might tell me about this project of yours over tea later," she said, as much curious as simply looking to speak to his Excellency more, as they had in the past before OZ had started to make their boldest moves in the war.

The general gave her an apologetic look before shaking his head. "It's a close secret, I fear, and not entirely my own. One day though, perhaps, when it's complete." He knew his lady would not be happy about that answer, but Wufei would be put in too much danger if Une knew about him. Her loyalty was unquestionable, but her temper was a force to be reckoned with too, and his dragon was so delicate. Wufei would never forgive him either. "However, I'm about to go see how the good doctors are doing on discovering the purpose of our mystery machine, if you care to accompany me."

"Regretfully, I have to decline," the woman said, a narrowing of eyes and a pursing of lips the only signs she gave of her displeasure in front of Treize. Her men and their enemy would no doubt be feeling it soon enough though. "There is a training matter demanding my attention this morning."

"Another time then," Treize said with a nod of dismissal. He waited until Une had given her salute and left before turning down another hall towards the secure laboratory where the pieces of the destroyed weapon had been taken.

He'd only cleared the team of scientists to start examining it yesterday, most of them brought in last minute from other projects and bases for the simple reason that he trusted them explicitly and knew they could not have been involved in its construction. Hopefully the red-eye flights they'd had to take to get here before the morning wouldn't effect their work.

Pausing at the entrance to slip a lab coat over his uniform to prevent himself from carrying any particles out of the lab where they might come in contact with skin until they knew whether or not they were harmless, he stepped inside. "Gentlemen, do you have any news for me?"

The project lead delivered a brief salute before directing Treize's attention to a computer terminal. "We haven't learned much yet, but fortunately what we _have_ figured out so far seems to be highly significant. Large parts of the targeting system are still intact, likely because they were further from the source of the explosion." He glanced at Treize to make sure the general followed, and was motioned to go on. "Right, well the device was designed to target organics from what we can tell. Animals, natural fibers, some raw minerals..."

"Human beings," Treize filled in, lips set in a grim line.

"In theory, yes," the scientist said with a small sigh. "Which is as far as we've gotten, unfortunately. We cannot say for sure what it was originally supposed to _do_ with those targets, as the resulting explosion of course suggests that what it _did_ do may not have been fully intentional. I have a small theory, but I would need to be able to examine the fallen mobile suit to confirm it before it would be worth even testing."

Treize shook his head. "At the moment, that is impossible, but I will inform you immediately if that fact changes. Until then, keep my notified of any new developments." "Of course, your excellency."

As he left the lab, only stopping to discard the protective layer of clothing, Treize had to frown. Targeting organics. Then was it actually meant to shrink the pilot like it had Wufei, or had that been merely a malfunction? He didn't particularly want to think about what else it could have been intended to do. But, it did partially explain why Wufei's clothing had shrunk with him, but not things like his presumably synthetic hairband or the restraints that would have been binding him to his cockpit chair. And from what he had seen, the damage to the gundam had been caused primarily by the explosion and the force of the crash.

As for a potential examination of the gundam itself, he would have to ask Wufei. Perhaps the fact that it could be to his benefit might be enough to convince the hot tempered pilot. But either way, for now at least Treize would leave the decision up to Wufei. He'd given his work for that much, and hoped nothing would force his hand to break it. But if that became his only way to help the young man, he would do it without hesitation. Particularly when the alternative might be revealing just what the machine had done, which was simply out of the question, no matter any other circumstances. Better for Wufei to live in his nightstand for the rest of the war than to expose them both. Treize doubted that his dragon would agree, but _that_ was one matter on which would not budge. Not even for Wufei.

With a sigh, he headed for his office. His revolution would not wait for this situation to resolve itself, so he could not simply sit on his hands until Wufei was once again fit to take his place as Treize's respected opponent again. All the pity.

Treize hoped Wufei would forgive him if this war was won without his involvement.


End file.
